The Lion King/Characters

Characters

Simba

Voiced by: Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick

The Atoner: Spends most of the first film guilt-ridden for his father's death, until he finds out that he's not the one to blame for it at all.
Awesome Moment of Crowning
Badass: Not quite as much as his father, though.
- Took a Level in Badass
Berserk Button: Seeing Scar strike Sarabi.
Big No
Brains Evil, Brawn Good: In his conflict with Scar. Though it's shown in the sequel that, while not perfect, he manages to turn the pridelands around and is a far more competent ruler than Scar, who had no idea what to do with his power.
Break the Cutie: Happens to him as a cub at Scar's claws.
Curtains Match the Window
Character Development: Goes through a lot of this over the course of the movie, and then gets a bit more by the end of the sequel.
The Good King
Held Gaze: With Nala.
The Hero
Heroic BSOD
He's Back
If You Kill Him You Will Be Just Like Him:

Scar: What are you going to do? You wouldn't kill your own uncle?
Simba: No, Scar. I'm not like you.

It's All About Me: As a cub, he thinks this is what being a king means. Unlike his uncle, he grows out of this mindset.
It's All My Fault
"I Want" Song: "I Just Can't Wait To Be King".
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Of the Overprotective Dad variety in the sequel.
King of Beasts: Well, duh.
Left for Dead
Leitmotif: Featured in This Land.
Meaningful Name: "Simba" means "lion" in Swahili.
Momma's Boy: Played with. As a cub, Simba's annoyed and embarrassed when Sarabi gives him a bath. As an adult Scar learned the hard way not to strike her in front of him.
Mouthy Cub
Overprotective Dad: In Simba's Pride. Considering what he went through as a kid, it's not that surprising.
Rebel Prince: After Mufasa's death.
Redheaded Hero
Refusal of the Call: "I can't go back."
Rightful King Returns
Royal Brat: Starts out as borderline this, but later matures.
The Reason You Suck Speech: While not in the final version of the movie, an alternate ending has Simba giving one to Scar during their final battle.

Simba: You think that because you killed my father, you're better than him? You're pathetic. You're weak. And above all, Scar, you're nothing but a coward!

Mufasa

Voiced by: James Earl Jones

Abel: To Scar's Cain.
The Ace
Adult Fear: He admits that his only fear is losing his son.
Anger Born of Worry: After he rescues Simba, Mufasa is obviously mad that he went to the elephant graveyard despite telling him not to and even more so because he put Nala in Danger. Simba understandably feels bad, but Mufasa calms down and lets him know it's because he was worried about their safety.
Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence
Authority Equals Asskicking
Badass
- Memetic Badass: When you hear his name, you just shudder.
- Badass Baritone: See his Voice Actor.
Berserk Button: "IF YOU EVER COME NEAR MY SON AGAIN..."
Big Damn Hero
Big Good
Bloodless Carnage: His death.
Brains Evil, Brawn Good: In his conflict with Scar. However, it turns out he's far more intelligent when it comes to ruling the Pridelands than Scar is.
Deceased Parents Are the Best: He is EASILY the coolest and kindest Disney dad ever written.
Died Happily Ever After
Disney Villain Death: Although he isn't a villain.
Disappeared Dad
Et Tu, Scar?
Family-Unfriendly Death
Fatal Flaw: He did seem overly trusting of his brother...
Framed for Heroism
Gentle Giant
The Good King
Good Parents: One of the best fathers in cinematic history.
Horrible Judge of Character: Although they have their disputes, he never stops trusting his Obviously Evil brother until it's too late.
Killed Off for Real
King of Beasts
Large and In Charge
Leitmotif: His haunting theme was rewritten for the Broadway show as "Shadowland."
Meaningful Name: "Mufasa" means "king".
Mentor Occupational Hazard: One of the most tragic examples.
Names to Run Away From: According to the Hyenas.
The Obi-Wan
Papa Wolf: One of the best examples of this trope, bar none.
Reasonable Authority Figure
Redheaded Hero
Sacrificial Lion: Literally.
Spirit Advisor
Tragic Hero: His misplaced trust in Scar leads to his downfall.
Trampled Underfoot

Scar

Voiced by: Jeremy Irons

Ambiguously Brown: As far as lions go anyway. Also counts as Unfortunate Implications. Said Unfortunate Implications are reversed when you realize he's voiced by a white British actor while Mufasa's voiced by an African-American.
- And they're lessened quite a bit when you realize he's just Color-coded for our convenience: Given how a lot of other Disney villains wear dark clothing, and lions don't wear clothes...
Ambiguously Gay: See here.
- Elaborating on that, Scar never had a queen, despite being surrounded by lionesses. Also it's easy to forget, but Simba and Nala had an arranged marriage, which implies that Scar didn't just fail to get a queen, but refused to get one.
- Though we do find out he had a mate in the sequel, and not having an Arranged Marriage might be justified by the fact that he's not first in line.
- Busted! In a deleted scene found on the Diamond Edition Blu-Ray, Scar discusses his need to find a queen and then coaxes Nala into becoming just that. Needless to say, she angrily refuses and runs off. The scene would be the set-up for the scene where she finds Simba, but it was cut because it featured really creepy undertones (obviously), according to the commentary.
Ambition Is Evil
Badass: His scheme took major guts to pull off, and he almost won in the end.
Bad Boss: Lets the hyenas run rampant over the Pride Lands until even they run out of food, casually manipulates all of them into helping his selfish scheme, and ultimately tries to pass the blame onto them when he tries to weasel his way out of justice.
Berserk Button: Mentioning how much better of a king Mufasa was than him, probably because he knows it's true. Just using the M-word in front of him by itself sends him into a rage.
Big Bad
Black Sheep: We can probably assume that most lions in his family take after his brother, not him.
Brains Evil, Brawn Good: In his conflicts with both Simba and Mufasa. He even lampshades it.

"Well, as far as brains go, I got the lion's share, but when it comes to brute strength, I'm afraid I'm at the shallow end of the gene pool."

Cain: The Cain to Mufasa's Abel.
The Caligula: He is an absolutely terrible ruler, and he threatens or intimidates anyone who tries to tell him otherwise. The mere mention of Mufasa is enough to send him into a rage.
The Chessmaster
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder
Classic Villain: Envy and Wrath.
The Combat Pragmatist
Composite Character: The feline equivalent of Claudius and Macbeth mixed together.
Consummate Liar
Cool Uncle: Young Simba views him this way and he takes advantage of this.
The Corrupter
Dark Is Evil
Deadpan Snarker
Despotism Justifies the Means: Quite happy to let the Pride Lands go to hell in a handbasket if that means he can be King. He's also pretty up-front that he wants the job for the power, and refuses to even acknowledge that he's supposed to have duties and responsibilities to go with them.
Devil in Plain Sight
Dirty Coward
- The So-Called Coward: When push comes to shove, Scar will fight back. As evidenced by nearly killing Simba in the final battle.
Disney Villain Death: Subverted. And he probably wishes it wasn't...
Evil Tropes:
- Evil Brit
- Evil Counterpart: To his brother - while Mufasa is a wise and just king, Scar is an incompetent and selfish ruler, and a Complete Monster to boot.
- Evil Eyebrows
- Evil Genius: At least in the first part of the movie.
- Evil Gloating
- Evil Is Hammy
- Evil Laugh
- Evil Plan
- The Evil Prince
- Evil Sounds Deep: Scar carries a subtle reverb in his voice that becomes noticeable whenever he is dripping with sickly-sweet sarcasm or he completely loses control of his temper.
- Evil Uncle
- Faux Affably Evil: Sure, he has no problem in murdering his own brother in cold blood to obtain the throne, but he's so cool.
Face Palm: After all, he's Surrounded by Idiots.
Family-Unfriendly Death: His own hyena minions tore him apart and ate him.
Fascist but Inefficient: He's an effective schemer right up until he actually gains power, at which point his disregard for anyone but himself runs the entire kingdom into the ground.
Fatal Flaw: Envy and Pride.
Fisher King
Genre Blind: He sends his bumbling minions to kill someone whom they've already failed to kill, and just look at the results of the aforementioned Evil Gloating.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: Evil.
Green Eyes
Green-Eyed Monster: Several lines in "Be Prepared" imply how jealous he is of Mufasa's success as king and the "injustice" that he's no longer next in line for the throne after Simba's birth. Heavy emphasis on the "monster" part,
- And he's a literal example as well, since he really does have Green Eyes. Also notice that, in Real Life, lions don't have green eyes, making the use even more metaphorical.
Hannibal Lecture: Gives a nasty one to Simba upon his return. It's so effective, if he hadn't done his Nice Job Fixing It, Villain, he'd have won with only this.
Hoist by His Own Petard: He is mauled to death by his own hyena minions.
It's All About Me: "I'm the king, I can do whatever I want" sums his rule up. It's also a Deconstruction of the trope, as this view on life results in the Pride Lands going to heck and him having a 0% Approval Rating.
Jerkass
Karmic Death: Survives a fall off of Pride Rock only to be eaten by his own hyena minions, who overheard him blame everything on them.
Kick the Dog: So many times, but the moment when he strikes Sarabi for standing up to him really stands out.
Killed Off for Real
Large Ham
Lean and Mean
Manipulative Bastard: One of the classic movie examples, and fitting for a villain in a Shakespearean-style film. There are very few characters in the story whom he does not deceive, and he sometimes manipulates others purely for his own amusement.
Mark of Shame
Meaningful Name: He was re-named "Scar" because of the permanent scar on his left eye. According to the books, his real name is Taka, which means "trash" in Swahili.
Narcissist
Eucatastrophe: He gets everything he wants in the movie, and would have gotten away with it if not for a moment of gloating self-indulgence.
New Era Speech: He gives one to the pride when he takes position as leader. Originally delivered via a song that reprises "Be Prepared".
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Sure, telling Simba you killed his father is such a great idea. It's not like being liberated of a lifetime of guilt over his father's death will fuel him with righteous anger and allow him to kick your tail and reveal your lies to everyone! Moreover, who in the right mind would put the blame of everything that happened on your only followers left? However, both gloating and not accepting blame for his actions are in character for him, though.
Obviously Evil: Just in case you hadn't noticed all the Evil Tropes above. And yet his brother still trusts him.
Only Known by Their Nickname: According to a storybook published following the film's release, his birth name was Taka (Swahili for "trash" or "want").
Posthumous Character: In Simba's Pride.
The Psychopath
Psychopathic Manchild: Best exemplified by his "I am the King, I can do whatever I want" excuse, because it is essentially the attitude of Simba as a cub, even though Simba never meant it in such a bastardly way.
Pyrrhic Victory: His original fate in the Alternate Ending. He wins the fight with Simba by throwing him off Pride Rock, but is then burned to death himself when the fires surrounding Pride Rock engulf it. By throwing Simba off Pride Rock, he actually saves Simba from suffering that fate and allowing him to have his happy ending anyway, making Scar's victory in the fight meaningless.
- His plan turns out this way. He succeeds in becoming King, but the once-bountiful Pride Lands quickly go to hell in a handbasket under his disastrous and self-serving leadership. Even the hyenas think that Mufasa's reign was better for them.
Red Right Hand: His scar, and his claws that are always bared (unlike the others).
Relative Button: You just had to get that last Kick the Dog moment in, didn't you Scar?
Reverse Psychology: How he tricks Simba into visiting the elephant graveyard.
The Resenter
Sanity Slippage: More obvious in the musical, but still visible in the movie. The musical has a number called "The Madness of King Scar", where he begins to go completely insane.
Sanity Slippage Song: "The Madness Of King Scar" in the musical version. He grows more insane as the song goes on, eventually seeing the ghost of Mufasa everywhere and becoming desperate to have cubs to continue his line. He also becomes increasingly paranoid, believing that the lionesses hate him (which they probably do) and are plotting to murder him.
Screw the Rules, I Make Them: "I'm the king, I can do what I want!"
Smug Snake: After becoming king. Although Scar was a master of manipulating everyone around him to seize the power he craved, he proved to be utterly incompetent at actually using the power once he had it, though this was more due to laziness and selfishness than a lack of intelligence. He hadn't been raised to be a king so he had no experience. Like Simba as a cub, he thought that it was just all about the power and the glory rather than actual hard work. He'd originally persuaded the hyenas to support him by promising that they'd never go hungry again, but the drought in the Pride Lands leads to a famine and causes the hyenas to begin grumbling about Scar even before Simba comes back.
Sssssnaketalk
Suddenly Shouting: When addressing the hyenas in "Be Prepared".

The future is littered with prizes
And though I'm the main addressee,
Point that I must emphasize is,
YOU WON'T GET A SNIFF WITHOUT ME! (a random hyena falls into the crack in the ground)

Surrounded by Idiots: Stated word for word.
Tall, Dark and Snarky
Tyrant Takes the Helm
The Unfavorite: Well, with a name that means "trash"...
The Usurper
Villainous Breakdown: "The Madness of King Scar" in the Broadway musical version, a song that really focuses on his shift from Magnificent Bastard to Smug Snake in his reign as king.
- The original ending of the film had a far more pronounced one. After his fight with Simba, which ends with Simba being the one thrown off Pride Rock (but lives), Scar is last seen laughing insanely as the fires surrounding Pride Rock engulf and kill him.
Villain Song: "Be Prepared" were he explains to the Hyenas how he intended to murder his brother and nephew to become king. There was also a cut reprise to "Be Prepared" were he introduces the Hyenas as his 'executive staff', though its also a Villain Song for them as well.
Wanting Is Better Than Having: After killing Mufasa and finally becoming the King of Pride Rock he ends up turning the paradise to ruins. Although he obviously mopes over the ordeal of being king, Scar is too proud to admit that he wasn't cut out for the job.
Wicked Cultured: Not only his speech is the more refined in the movie, but somehow he knows about the gene pool.
Would Hurt a Child: More like have someone else do it for him.
Would Hit a Girl: He smacks Sarabi hard for mentioning Mufasa in his presence during an argument, then notices a very angry Simba watching above...

Nala

Voiced by: Niketa Calame, Moira Kelly

Action Girl: She doesn't start off as one, but once she reaches adulthood, yes sirree.
Green Is Blue: Her eyes.
Closer to Earth
Deadpan Snarker: She remarks to Simba that in his childhood he had laughed in the face of danger.
The Heart
Held Gaze: With Simba.
Herald
The High Queen
Queen of Beasts
Meaningful Name: "Nala" means "gift" in Swahili.
Only Sane Woman: Think about it.
Plucky Girl
Properly Paranoid: She had every reason to tell Simba to come back to the Pridelands. When Simba returns, he discovers that Scar plans to have everyone die.
She's All Grown Up: Simba doesn't immediately recognize her once she reaches adulthood.
Victorious Childhood Friend: She hooks up with Simba...despite Simba's initial protests.

Zazu

Voiced by: Rowan Atkinson, Edward Hibbert

Butt Monkey
Deadpan Snarker
Expy: He is basically Edmund Blackadder as a hornbill.
Feather Fingers
Jerk with a Heart of Gold
Servile Snarker
Snarky Nonlion Sidekick
They Call Me Mister Tibbs

Rafiki

Voiced by: Robert Guillaume

Badass Grandpa
Bunny Ears Lawyer: Although his weird antics might just be for Simba's benefit.
Cloudcuckoolander
Cool Old Guy
Eccentric Mentor: The way he teaches a lesson to Simba is...creative.
Everything's Better with Monkeys
Let's Get Dangerous
The Matchmaker: In Simba's Pride.
Magical Negro: Rafiki, the only character with an African accent, provides a Double Subversion. As a Trickster Mentor, he looks like he's a useless doddery old senile ape but in truth gives vital guidance. And he can really open a can of whoopass on hyenas.
Minored in Asskicking
Offhand Backhand
Old Master
Simple Staff
Trickster Mentor
Warrior Therapist
When Elders Attack: He smacks down a couple of Hyenas with his stick during the final battle. Also counts as a Crowning Moment of Awesome.
- Beware the Silly Ones

Sarabi

Voiced by: Madge Sinclair

Action Girl
Brother Chuck
Good Parents: Though Mufasa gets more focus, Sarabi still seems to be a pretty good mom.
The Good Queen / Reasonable Authority Figure: She even at least tries to stand up to Scar.
The High Queen
Meaningful Name: Sarabi means "mirage" in Swahili.
The Stoic: She stands up to Scar's verbal abuse with quite a bit of dignity.
What Happened to the Mouse?: It's unknown what happened to Sarabi after the death of her voice actress.

Timon and Pumbaa

Voiced by: Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella

Ambiguously Gay: Timon, mainly because his voice actor is openly gay.
Anti-Hero: Type II.
Anti Role Model: They aren't especially negative characters, but their carefree philosophy is wildly at odds with the film's actual moral.
Badly-Battered Babysitter
Berserk Button: "THEY CALL ME MR. PIG!!!!" Cut seconds later to asskicking.
The Big Guy: Pumbaa.
Big Guy, Little Guy
The Blind Leading the Blind
Blood Brothers
Breakout Characters
Butt Monkey: Timon.
- Pumbaa has his moments too, especially in the episode of the TV show where Timon sings "Stand By Me".
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Pumbaa.
Deadpan Snarker: Timon.
Does Not Understand Sarcasm: Pumbaa.
Dumbass Has a Point: Pumbaa on at least one occasion. "I thought stars were giant balls of gas burning billions of miles away!"
Fartillery
Fat and Skinny
Gentle Giant: Pumbaa.
Hakuna Matata: Trope Namer.
Heterosexual Life Partners
Jewish Mother: Timon's mother, in the third movie.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Timon.
The Lancer: Timon.
Large Ham: Pumbaa is a literal example.
Leitmotif: They have a Fanfare.
Literal-Minded: Pumbaa, which is often the reason why he Does Not Understand Sarcasm.
Meaningful Name: Pumbaa means "simpleton" in Swahili.
Loveable Rogue: Timon again.
Only One Name: Their last names, Berkowitz and Smith, were actually revealed in Timon and Pumbaa. (Nowadays, though, Disney pretends they weren't.)
Plucky Comic Relief
They Call Me Mr. Pig
Those Two Guys

Banzai, Shenzi and Ed

Voiced by: Cheech Marin, Whoopi Goldberg and Jim Cummings

Aerith and Bob: Shenzi And Ed.
Dark Action Girl: Shenzi.
Better Living Through Evil
The Brute: Banzai.
Cloudcuckoolander: Ed.
Comic Trio
The Dragon: Shenzi.
The Dog Bites Back
Ear Notch: Ed.
Equal Opportunity Evil
Evil Genius: Banzai.
The Hyena
Ironic Name
Leitmotif: A high-pitched, string theme for the chase scenes.
Mook Face Turn
Not So Harmless
Truth in Television: All Women are Doms, All Men are Subs is played straight among real hyenas.
Odd Name Out: Ed is the only one of the trio who does not have a Swahili name. In fact, he's one of the few characters in the whole movie without one.
Terrible Trio
Villain Song: They and the other Hyenas act as backup singers for "Be Prepared", though its mostly for Scar. The cut reprise would've been more of a Villain Song for the Hyenas.

Kiara

Voiced by: Michelle Horn, Neve Campbell

Accidental Kiss: With Kovu.
All Girls Want Bad Boys
Be Yourself
Everything's Better with Princesses
Lonely Rich Kid
Pinball Protagonist: Until after her lover's exile, much like the original Juliet.
Plucky Girl
Rebellious Princess
Save the Villain: She tries to. She really does. But Zira is too consumed by hate to take her paw and be saved.
She's All Grown Up
Take My Hand
What the Hell, Hero?: "You will never be Mufasa!"

Kovu

Voiced by: Ryan O'Donohue, Jason Marsden

Accidental Kiss: With Kiara.
Becoming the Mask
Big No
Calling Zira Out
The Chosen One: By Scar.
Dark and Troubled Past
Dark Is Evil -> Dark Is Not Evil
Deadpan Snarker
Good Scars, Evil Scars
Green Eyes: Emerald green eyes. And, unlike Scar, not related to the Green-Eyed Monster.
Heel Face Turn
Heel Realization
Love Redeems
Mark of Shame
Meaningful Name: Kovu means "scar" in Swahili.
Rage Against the Reflection: During "Not One Of Us", as he's being driven from the Pride Lands, he looks at his reflection in the river. While Simba once saw Mufasa in a pool of water, all Kovu sees is Scar, which leads to this.
Standing Between the Enemies
Troubled but Cute
Tyke Bomb

Zira

Abusive Mom: Though when Nuka dies, she shows she really did care about him.
Avenging the Villain
Ax Crazy: Look at her Villain Song and her actions in the final battle. Zira is downright psychotic!
Best Served Cold
Big Bad: Of the sequel.
The Chessmaster: Despite being Ax Crazy, she shows some apsects of this. She trained Kovu from birth to sneak into the Pride Lands and become her instrument of Simba's destruction. Then she proceeds to use this to throw Simba off his game by revealing it to him (even though Kovu already underwent a Heel Face Turn by the time).
Disney Villain Death / Inevitable Waterfall: Worth mentioning is her death was originally much darker, including her being Driven to Suicide and letting go of her own free will. It even would've shown her being crushed by logs in the torrent.
Dragon Their Feet / Dragon Ascendant: Is Scar's mate, thus was most likely his second-in-command. She didn't appear in the first film at all, but becomes the Big Bad of the second one.
- Less Dragon Their Feet than Remember the New Guy?.
Ear Notch
Evil Is Petty: At least she admits it: "Trouble is, I know it's petty, but I hate to let them live!"
Evil Plan: Same take over the Pridelands as Scar, but she decide on the direct approach at the end.
Evil Matriarch
Excessive Evil Eyeshadow
The Exile: Was banished from the Pride Lands along with the other Outlanders. We never find out why, but she is ticked off about it.
Fatal Flaw: Her thirst for vengeance. While she shows at Nuka's death and other times that she loves her children, her all-consuming thirst for vengeance causes her to be an Abusive Parent, ultimately causing the death of one of her children and the Heel Face Turn of the other two, as well as her own demise.
God Save Us From the Queen: Though she's more of an ex-queen.
Karmic Death
Lady Macbeth: Posthumously for Scar.
Large Ham: Before her Villainous Breakdown.
Lean and Mean
Love Makes You Evil
Loves the Sound of Screaming: Most of her Villain Song is modeled after this trope.
Manipulative Bitch
Meaningful Name: "Zira" in Swahili means "hate". Giving her thirst for vengeance, it's extremely fitting.
Never My Fault
Parental Favoritism: She seems to realize somewhat at Nuka's death she'd made a mistake though.
Slasher Smile: And how.
The Sociopath: While Scar, being more calculating and subtle, would qualify more as a psychopath, her harsh attitude and aggressiveness make her this.
Villain Song: "My Lullaby".
Villainous Breakdown: Naturally she was never the most sane person, but after Nuka dies, she throws her Evil Plan out the window, banishes her favorite son, and starts a full-out war with the Pride Lands. Gets even worse when Kovu and Kiara return and stop the fighting, threatening her own daughter with death.
What Have I Done: Cruelly subverted. After Nuka's death, she seems to blame herself but then shifts the blame to Kovu.

Nuka

Voiced by: Andy Dick

Butt Monkey
Deadpan Snarker: "Kovu, what a guy." While Vitani's adoration is genuine, Nuka has a completely dry tone and rolls his eyes.
Disney Villain Death
In the Blood
Lean and Mean
Meaningful Name: "Nuka" in Swahili means "stink". Given his mangy appearence, it's quite fitting.
Nervous Wreck: In the first part.
The Pig Pen
Pyromaniac
Sarcastic Devotee: He's not the typically smart type, but still counts.
Sour Supporter
Stupid Evil
The Unfavorite
Villain Ball: He tries to grab Simba by the foot, to drag him down to his death, but ends up getting killed by falling logs.
"Well Done, Son" Guy

Vitani

Voiced by: Lacey Chabert, Jennifer Lien

Blue Eyes
Dark Chick
Deadpan Snarker
Heel Face Turn: Is the first of the Outlanders to see the logic in what Kovu and Kiara are trying to say.
Meaningful Name: The word "vitani" means "war" in Swahilli, however the word also bears a resembalence to "shetani", the Swahilli word for "demon of war".

Timon's Ma

Voiced by: Julie Kavner

Jewish Mother
My Beloved Smother
Significant Green-Eyed Redhead: Timon's mom. Oddly enough, she's the only meerkat with a visible eye color other than Black Eyes.

Uncle Max

Voiced by: Jerry Stiller

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