List of The Lion King II characters
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[edit] The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
[edit] Simba
[edit] Nala
[edit] Kiara
Kiara [name meaning small and dark in irish] is the daughter of King Simba and Queen Nala and future queen of the Pride Lands. She is mischievous and adventurous like her father was as a cub. She is voiced by Michelle Horn (cub) and Neve Campbell (adult). Her singing voices are provided by Charity Sanoy (Child), and Liz Callaway (Adult).
After evading her babysitters Timon and Pumbaa (appointed by her worried father, Simba), Kiara wanders across the border between the Pride Lands to the Outlands, a place where a pride of lions still loyal to Scar were exiled. There she meets Kovu, an Outlander cub and the lion chosen to follow in Scar's paw prints. The two become friends after evading crocodiles, but their time together is cut short as Kovu's mother, Zira, appears and confronts Simba. Zira, still bitter about Scar's defeat and her pride's exile, hates Simba and believes that Scar is the true king. Eventually the two parents take their cubs and leave, the cubs sadly saying goodbye to each other. Rafiki, after wisdom from Mufasa, forms a plan to unite Kiara and Kovu in love.
Simba is upset that Kiara disobeyed him and Kiara expresses dislike at the thought of becoming queen as it's "no fun", to which Simba responds "we are one." Elsewhere, in the Outlands, Zira hatches a plan to have Kovu gain Simba's trust by saving Kiara, after which Kovu will kill Simba when the king grows complacent.
The years pass and Kiara grows into a young adult. On the day of her first hunt, everyone is excited for her. She tells Simba that she wants to do it on her own without Timon and Pumbaa following her. Despite promising to the contrary, Simba sends them after her anyway. Upon discovering them, Kiara becomes angry and rushes off, determined to do her hunting away from the Pride Lands.
Zira sets her plan in motion as her other cubs Nuka and Vitani set fire to the Pride Lands. Kiara is trapped in the ensuing inferno and is rescued by Kovu. Simba is enraged to see Kovu again but owes the lion a huge debt for saving his daughter's life. Reluctantly, Simba allows Kovu to join the pride. Kovu is forced to sleep outside the cave where he has a conversation with Kiara. The two arrange a hunting lesson after Kovu taunts her hunting abilities at first. Reminiscent of when he insulted her as cubs.
The next morning Kovu prepares to attack Simba but is interrupted by Kiara. Kovu gives Kiara a hunting lesson, but they are distracted by Timon and Pumbaa and run off chasing birds instead. That night, Kiara and Kovu look at the stars, which results in them discussing Scar and his motives. Kovu tries to leave, but Rafiki takes the two young lions to a place called Upendi (the Swahili word for "love").
The morning after, Kovu realizes that he can't kill Simba out of love for Kiara. Before he can tell the pride about Zira's plot, he and Simba are ambushed while out walking. Simba is badly wounded but manages to escape. Kovu's brother, Nuka, is killed as he tries to climb a log dam. Zira blames Kovu and slashes him, giving him an identical scar to Scar's. Kovu flees to the Pride Lands but is exiled by an enraged Simba, believing the ambush to be Kovu's fault. Kiara, distraught, runs off to find Kovu. The two reunite in a desert. Kiara tells Kovu that they should return to ease the tensions between their prides.
A war breaks out between the Pridelanders and the Outlanders. Kovu and Kiara manage to stop it and makes the two sides realize that the fighting is pointless. Zira, still loyal to Scar, leaps to attack Simba but is knocked away by Kiara. The two tumble into a gorge. Zira refuses Kiara's aid and falls to her death into the river below, swollen by the damaged log dam from the previous fight.
The two prides, now united, return to Pride Rock. Simba, Nala, Kovu (now effectively Kiara's prince consort) and Kiara roar triumphantly out across the kingdom.
[edit] Kovu
Kovu is the son of Zira and an unknown lion. He is a cub in the part of Simba's pride exiled for their loyalty to Scar. Kovu was originally intended to be the son of Scar but this was changed as this would make him related to Kiara, Simba's daughter. Instead, he became Scar's adopted son. Scar chose Kovu as the lion to follow in his paw prints and become king of the Pride Lands. As a cub he was voiced by Ryan O'Donohue and as an adult by Jason Marsden. His singing voice was provided by Gene Miller. Kovu means "scar" in Kiswahili.
Kovu is out with his brother Nuka when Kiara tumbles down from a log and crashes into him. Kovu reacts aggressively at first but soon begins to tease Kiara for being "daddy's little girl". As the two wander to a body of water they are attacked by crocodiles. The cubs evade the crocodiles and began to play, but are interrupted by Zira and Simba. The two adult lions confront each other, before picking up their cubs and leaving.
Later, Zira yells at Kovu for being friendly towards a Pridelander. Kovu says that he thought that he and Kiara could become friends. Zira, inspired by Kovu's words, forms a plan to get Kovu into the Pride Lands and kill Simba when he has gained enough trust. Meanwhile, Simba tells Kiara that they are "one."
Zira trains and conditions Kovu until he is grown. She sends him out to kill Simba along with Vitani and Nuka, who start a fire while Kiara is out on her first hunt. When the fire has taken hold, Zira sends Kovu out into the fire to rescue Kiara. Kovu manages to save Kiara and is confronted by Simba again, who reluctantly allows Kovu to join the pride.
That night, Kovu appears in Simba's nightmares. Simba attempts to save Mufasa from falling into the wildebeest stampede, but Scar appears on the ledge, mocking Simba's inability to help his father. After Mufasa falls, Scar morphs into Kovu and throws Simba after his father, causing Simba to wake in a sweat. The next day, Kovu prepares to attack Simba while Simba is alone and drinking from the water hole, but Kiara interrupts him to begin a hunting lesson. While out, the pair soon stumble upon Timon and Pumbaa who are trying to chase some birds away from their favourite feeding site. The two lions roar, scattering the birds. They all chase the birds until angering a crash of rhinoceroses. In escaping from the rhinos, Kovu and Kiara accidentally kiss.
That night Kovu and Kiara lie under the stars. Kovu wonders if Scar is up in the sky with the other Great Kings of the Past, a notion he soon dismisses. As he tries to walk away, Rafiki appears and sweeps the two bewildered lions to a strange and exciting place called Upendi (meaning "love" in Swahili.) As the two lions venture back to Pride Rock, Kovu has Simba on his own. However, Kovu, now seeing a better life in the Pride Lands, refuses to attack Kiara's father. Vitani waits for Kovu to attack, and reports back to an angry Zira when he doesn't.
The next morning, Kovu resolves to confess to Kiara his true reasons for coming to the Pride Lands, and that he has abandoned Zira's plot. However, before Kovu can do so, Simba takes Kovu out for a walk through the fire-ravaged Pride Lands. As they walk, they discuss the true nature of Scar, but they are ambushed by Zira and the Outlanders. Zira congratulates Kovu, but Kovu panics as he realizes he inadvertently completed the plot he abandoned. Kovu attempts to save Simba, but one of the Outsiders knocks him into a rock, rendering him unconscious.
Simba falls into a gorge with a log dam and attempts to climb it to safety, giving Kovu a chance to attack him. When Kovu hesitates, Nuka, wanting to impress Zira, climbs the log dam and manages to grab Simba's ankle, but is killed when some logs dislodge and crush him. Zira blames Nuka's death on Kovu and slashes him across the face, giving Kovu a scar resembling Scar's. As Zira demands to her son to admit his responsibility for killing his brother, Kovu's stands up to his mother for the first time and runs back to the Pride Lands, where he is promptly exiled by Simba.
Kiara, distraught, runs away to find Kovu. The two meet in a desert and proclaim their love that transcends their pride's rivalry. Kovu wishes to run away with Kiara to start their own pride. Kiara refuses, saying that they must return to try and unite their divided prides. They both run back to the Pride Lands, crossing the log dam that has now been weakened, only to find their prides both at war. Kovu and Kiara stop the fight, but Zira leaps at Simba. Kiara knocks her aside and the two tumble into a gorge where Zira slips and drowns.
The now united prides return to Pride Rock where Kovu and Kiara are married, with Kovu becoming her prince consort. With order restored, Simba, Nala, Kiara and Kovu roar out across the kingdom while the spirit of Mufasa praises his son for his wisdom.
[edit] Zira
Zira is the main antagonist. She is voiced by Suzanne Pleshette. Zira bore three cubs: Nuka, then Vitani and then Kovu. Zira mentions that Kovu was the last born before they were exiled, but his father's identity is unknown. Zira means "hate" in Swahili.[1]
Zira, her three children, and some other lionesses who supported Scar's cause were banished to a desert-like area filled with termite mounds known as the Outlands.
Kovu becomes affectionate with Simba's daughter Kiara after the two cubs escape from crocodiles on the Outland borders. Simba and Zira clash over this, but the two leave without fighting. Zira plots to train Kovu so he can easily kill Simba at the right moment (the "My Lullaby" song scene). Kovu was to save Kiara from a fire (of Nuka and Vitani's own making) so he could get closer to her and in turn, Simba. Then, when Simba was alone, Kovu would kill him.
The plan starts well, but Kiara and Kovu fall in love, which causes Zira to plan an ambush on Simba and Kovu while the two lions are out walking. Simba falls into a gorge during the ensuing fight, but escapes via a log dam piled up against one end of the gorge. The logs fall and crush Nuka, killing him. Zira pauses to mourn her son's demise, but quickly takes out her anger on Kovu, giving him a scar identical to Scar's. Kovu, defiant for the first time, flees for the Pride Lands as Zira declares war on Simba.
Zira rallies her lionesses and they travel to the Pride Lands for the final battle. At the battle's climax, Simba and Zira are about to fight each other when Kiara and Kovu intervene and stop the battle before it can begin, convincing the Outlanders and the Pridelanders that "they are one." Vitani is the first to realize this and switch sides. Zira threatens to kill Vitani if she doesn't come back, disgusting the other lionesses, who subsequently abandon her.
Enraged, Zira charges at Simba, stating that "this is for you, Scar." Kiara leaps into Zira's path, causing Zira to knock Kiara and herself off the edge of a nearby cliff, sending them both tumbling into the gorge. Kiara lands safely on a ledge, but Zira slides off the edge and hangs precariously onto it. Kiara makes an attempt to rescue Zira, but Zira swipes at her, rejecting help. Zira, having rejected aid, slips and falls into the river below and drowns.
[edit] Zira's suicide
In a scene that survived to the rough animation stage, Zira in effect committed suicide: Kiara offers Zira aid, but Zira growls "No. Never." and releases her claws from the cliff, falling into the swollen river below with a smile. This was considered too dark for a Disney film and was cut (Donald Duck's 1947 cartoon short Donald's Dilemma depicted a scene featuring Daisy Duck attempting to kill herself to win Donald's love which suffered the same fate). Surprisingly, a suicide theme was used later in the 2004 Disney/Pixar film The Incredibles.
[edit] Nuka
Nuka is the eldest son of Zira, half-brother of Vitani and Kovu. His father is not explicitly mentioned, but the film strongly hints it was Scar. His voice was provided by Andy Dick. Nuka means "smell" or "stink" in Swahili.
He constantly tries to please his mother and is very jealous of Kovu's position as Scar's heir. Nuka carries out what Zira commands along with his sister Vitani. He eventually dies after being crushed to death by some logs while pursuing Simba up a log dam in an attempt to get Zira's attention. Zira blames Kovu for Nuka's death and slashes Kovu across the face, leaving him with a facial wound identical to Scar's.
[edit] Nuka's death scene
In a scene that survived to the rough animation stage, Nuka's death scene is extended. As Nuka crushed underneath the logs, he says "I'm sorry, Mother. I tried." Zira manages to reach her paw to cradle his head gently. Pleased with Zira's affection towards him, Nuka says "Well, I finally got your attention, didn't I?" before he finally dies.
[edit] Vitani
Vitani is the daughter of Zira, the sister to Nuka and Kovu, and is sometimes thought of as Kovu's littermate. She was originally named Shetani, but since the word means "demon" in Kiswahili, her name was changed to "Vitani". "Vita" means "war" in Swahili, so it is suggested that her name is a portmanteau meaning "demon of war". However, during the fight scene at the end of the film, Nala appears to say "Shetani" rather than "Vitani", pointing out the potential that the name was changed after production had already begun.
Vitani has a somewhat minor role in the film. Near the beginning, she and Nuka have a brief conversation about Kovu, and a little later she participates in Zira's song "My Lullaby". As an adult, Vitani is sent with Nuka to light a fire in the savannah so Kovu can save Simba's daughter Kiara and get close to Simba. This is part of Zira's plot for Kovu to infiltrate Simba's pride. Later on Vitani discovers that Kovu no longer wishes to assassinate Simba and reports this to Zira.
During the battle between the Outlanders and Pridelanders, when Kiara reminds Simba that they "are one", Vitani is the first of the Outlanders to realize that the fighting is pointless and that the Outlanders must attempt to become accepted by the Pridelanders and prove themselves worthy of forgiveness to survive. As a result, she is the first to cross over to Simba's side and defend his cause. Furthermore, when Zira then threatens Vitani for her defection, that act backfires into disgusting the other Outlanders enough to desert her entirely.
[edit] Timon and Pumbaa
Timon and Pumbaa, voiced by Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella respectively, return as Simba's aides and Kiara's not-so-watchful babysitters. Timon and Pumbaa also teach Kovu, Kiara's new boyfriend, how to have fun after he forgets due to years of indoctrination in hatred. They later assist in the battle against Kovu's vengeful mother, Zira, and her pride of exiled lions.
[edit] Rafiki
Rafiki, voiced by Robert Guillaume, is the wise shaman mandrill of the Pride Lands. He attempts to rekindle Kovu and Kiara's love after being persuaded by Mufasa's spirit, even though he knows Simba and Zira won't like it. He tries to make the adult Kiara and Kovu fall in love with each other by taking them to a fantasy paradise called "Upendi". In the end, he acts as the host of Kiara and Kovu's wedding.
[edit] Zazu
Zazu returns as Simba's right-hand bird, but in a less important and more serious role, this time voiced by Edward Hibbert. Zazu distrusts Kovu.
[edit] Mufasa
Simba's father, Mufasa, who was cruelly murdered by his own brother, Scar, appears in the film as a ghost in the sky and in Simba's nightmare.In Simba's nightmare, Mufasa slipped while Simba tried to help him. He also communicates non-verbally with his old friend, Rafiki.
