Ahadi

Ahadi was a male lion. He was the king of Pride Rock who preceded Mufasa. He was the mate of Uru, with whom he had two sons: Mufasa and Taka.
It is suggested that after the birth of his sons, Ahadi showed strong favoritism for the eldest, Mufasa, due to his dutiful and responsible nature. This alienated Ahadi from his younger son, Taka, who grew to resent his father and elder brother.
During a drought, Ahadi watched over the Pride Lands while his mate, Uru, searched for a new source of food and water. He encountered a wandering baboon named Rafiki, to whom he offered shelter after learning of the simian's mission to collect knowledge. Shortly after, Ahadi struggled to manage the complaints of the Pride Landers, who were suffering from a lack of food and water, and was forced to break a promise to Taka in order to handle the kingdom's problems.
Driven by jealousy and resentment, Taka incited a cape buffalo's wrath in order to discredit Mufasa in front of Ahadi. However, the plan backfired, as the other herd members attacked Taka instead. Ahadi arrived and defended his son from further injury, and the party returned to Pride Rock. There, Ahadi appointed Zuzu the hornbill to be his majordomo and Rafiki to be his adviser.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Ahadi lived in the Pride Lands. He was a member of a pride of lions who were based in Pride Rock. At some point in his life, he became the king of the Pride Lands alongside his mate, Uru, with whom he had two sons: Mufasa and Taka. It is suggested that Ahadi often favored his elder son, Mufasa, for his aptitude for kingship and his strong sense of duty, which alienated him from his younger son, Taka.
===Drought===
During Ahadi's reign, a drought devastated the Pride Lands. While Ahadi's mate, Uru, left to search for a new source of food and water, Ahadi remained at Pride Rock to govern the Pride Landers and care for his sons, Mufasa and Taka. During the drought, a traveling baboon named Rafiki wandered into the Pride Lands in search of knowledge and wisdom. He stopped to rest at Five Stones, but was set upon by hyenas. Just then, Ahadi arrived alongside his sons, Mufasa and Taka, and chided the hyenas for hunting for sport. He then ordered them to vacate the area.
With the hyenas gone, Mufasa introduced his father to Rafiki, and Rafiki explained his mission to Ahadi. Intrigued by the baboon's knowledge, Ahadi invited Rafiki to come to Pride Rock and share his wisdom with the kingdom, as help was desperately needed. The two talked for hours, and when night finally fell, Ahadi offered Rafiki a place to stay for the night.
The following morning, a crowd of angry Pride Landers pressured Ahadi to fix the kingdom's many problems. At first, Ahadi could not get a word in edgewise, but when Zuzu the hornbill mentioned that the hyenas had become a problem, he promised to deal with the matter. Taka interjected, reminding Ahadi that he had promised to take his sons hunting that morning, but Ahadi regretfully postponed the trip. This did not sit well with Taka, who expressed frustration over his father's kingly duties. Ahadi reminded him that ruling a kingdom requires great responsibility and that Mufasa understood his duties, to which Taka furiously accused Ahadi of playing favorites.
The Pride Landers interrupted the argument, demanding that the family stop arguing about the throne and instead focus on the more prevalent problems. To satisfy their demands, Ahadi agreed to set about taming the hyenas. However, he refused to promise a solution for the drought and reminded the Pride Landers that they had to await the return of his mate, Uru, who was searching for a new source of food and water.
Before he departed, Ahadi attempted to apologize to Taka about the misfortune, but Taka refused to forgive his father for the broken promise. Ahadi turned to Rafiki and commented that it would be much easier to learn about small problems before they became big ones. As he departed, Zuzu approached Rafiki and praised Ahadi for his bravery and strength despite the difficult situation.
Later that day, Mufasa and Taka were attacked by a herd of cape buffalo, and Ahadi rushed to their aid at the head of an elephant herd. After surrounding the buffalo with his followers, Ahadi demanded an explanation, to which the buffalo assigned blame to Mufasa and Taka. Mufasa warned his father that Taka was injured, and Rafiki promised to tend to Taka's injuries.
Under the careful direction of Rafiki, the party moved Taka to Pride Rock, where he was properly treated with herbs. Though Rafiki managed to patch up Taka's wounds, he was unable to heal Taka's scar. Ahadi told his son that the scar would serve as a reminder throughout his life of his recklessness. Taka admitted his misgivings about Ahadi's broken promise, and Ahadi reprimanded him and expressed hope that the scar would serve as a humble reminder of Taka's past mistakes.
With Taka healed, Ahadi left to speak with Mufasa, Rafiki, and Zuzu on the peak of Pride Rock. Together, the four came to the conclusion that Ahadi needed a majordomo to assist him in important matters. At Rafiki's suggestion, Ahadi offered the position to Zuzu, who proudly accepted. The king then asked Rafiki to be his adviser. Though the baboon was initially hesitant, he eventually conceded under the condition that he could go on personal quests from time to time. As the decisions were brought to a close, Ahadi proclaimed to the others that he could feel a great era beginning for the Pride Lands.
===Legacy===
Long after Ahadi's reign, Rafiki told his and Uru's story to their great-grandson, Kopa.
==Physical appearance==
Ahadi is slightly larger than his eldest son, Mufasa. He has a sturdy body, with broad shoulders, rounded muscles, and a full mane. His face is broad and somewhat short, and his jaw is square and block-like.
Unlike his fellow pride members, Ahadi sports a dark bronze pelt broken only by patches of lighter fur on his muzzle, paws, and underbelly. His mane is lighter in color, being a lush red with darker fur combing the tips. He has the same reddish-brown eyes as Mufasa, but his eye rims are unusual, with the top shade being dark, while the lower shade is red.
Ahadi passed many traits down to his sons, though the similarities differ depending on the source. According to the illustrations, Ahadi and Mufasa mirror one another in body structure, eye and fur coloring, and colored paws. However, the text conflicts with the appearance described above, as the author depicts Ahadi as having a black mane and green eyes, as opposed to a red mane and reddish-brown eyes. This description would make Ahadi's appearance akin to that of his younger son, Taka.
==Personality and traits==
Ahadi is bold, resilient, and strong-willed. He executes his duties as king with dignity and grace, and refrains from making promises to his subjects that he does not intend to keep. Like his son Mufasa, he is a peacemaker who strives to keep the Circle of Life in balance and respect every creature.
Ahadi continually seeks critique and knowledge, as he readily welcomed Rafiki to share his wisdom with the Pride Lands. He does not abuse or flaunt his power, but rather adopts a mantle of servitude in which he listens to his subjects' complaints and shows a willingness to ask for outside help.
As a father, Ahadi is concerned and patient, though he tends to prioritize kingly duties over familial ones. He has a strained relationship with his younger son, Taka, due to his high praise for his elder son, Mufasa, and his history of breaking promises.
==Appearances==
* The Lion King: Six New Adventures
** A Tale of Two Brothers
** Follow the Leader (mentioned)
** How True, Zazu? (mentioned)
* Friends for Life (mentioned)
* Fight for the Throne (mentioned)
==Trivia==
* Ahadi's name means "promise, pledge, agreement, obligation, offer" in Swahili.
* The text of A Tale of Two Brothers describes Ahadi as having "a long black mane and bright green eyes." This contradicts the illustrations, which depict him as having golden fur and a red mane.
* Outside of The Lion King: Six New Adventures and its inspired media, Simba's paternal grandfather is mentioned twice: once in The Lion King and once in an inspired book, The Brightest Star. No name is stated.
==References==
Category:Characters
Category:Deceased characters
Category:Leaders
Category:Lions
Category:Males
Category:Pride Landers
Category:Pride Lands royal family
Category:Rulers of Pride Rock