Nirmala

Nirmala is a female lion. She is a member of the Night Pride and the healer of the Tree of Life.
When Kion journeyed to the Tree of Life in search of a remedy for his scar, Nirmala oversaw his healing process. First, she taught him patience at Dirisha, where he was required to jump precisely on a log that was floating down the river in order to fetch a flower on the opposite bank. Later, she coached him to be self-reflective at Pratibimba. Eventually, due to his various healing sessions, Kion was fully healed of the venom in his scar.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Nirmala lived in a territory outside the Tree of Life's borders. At some point in her life, she became a member of the Night Pride as well as a healer at the Tree of Life.
===Meeting the Lion Guard===
When the Lion Guard approached the mountain pass that led to the Tree of Life, Ullu the owl spied on their activities and left to inform Nirmala and the rest of the Night Pride.
After receiving Ullu's warning, the Night Pride traveled to the mountain pass to confront the Lion Guard. The two groups engaged in a battle. During the fight, Nirmala dodged an attack from Beshte, then heeded her teammate Surak's warning to avoid Anga's aerial attack. However, after Kion used the Roar of the Elders on Baliyo, the Night Pride backed off, and their leader, Rani, ordered the Lion Guard to stay away from the Tree of Life.
Back at the Tree of Life, the Night Pride reunited with Baliyo, who was unharmed. Before leaving to report on the border incident to Janna, Rani ordered Nirmala and Surak to look after Baliyo. Nirmala told Baliyo to follow her so she could administer a cure for his head.
Later, Nirmala and the rest of the Night Pride returned to the Lion Guard, only to find that they had cleared the pass. Kion apologized to Rani and implored her to accept his friend, Ono, for healing. Impressed by his selflessness, Rani allowed Kion to come to the Tree of Life. The Lion Guard followed the Night Pride through the pass until they beheld the Tree of Life for the first time.
===Dirisha===
The Lion Guard arrived at the Tree of Life, where they met its matriarch, Queen Janna. Kion explained that he and his friend, Ono, had come for healing. Nirmala examined them and came to the conclusion that Kion's injuries would be far more difficult to heal than Ono's. Janna ordered her granddaughter, Rani, to give the Lion Guard a tour of the kingdom while Kion began his healing journey with Nirmala.
Nirmala led Kion to Dirisha, or the River of Patience, and instructed him to fetch her a flower on the opposite bank. First, he must wait for a log to float down the river. Then he must ride it to a sandy bank. Finally, he must climb a winding trail up the side of the cliff until he reached the flower. Kion worried that it would take a long time for a log to appear, but Nirmala assured him that they would wait as long as necessary, even days.
Kion attempted to jump on a log, but his impatience caused the log to tip. Just then, Nirmala was called away to join the rest of the Night Pride, while Kion was left behind to worry over the team's fate. The Night Pride took on Makucha and his allies and defeated them easily, as the predators did not work well together.
After the incident, Nirmala and Kion returned to Dirisha, where Kion paced restlessly, waiting for a log to approach. Once more, a log floated down the river, but Kion was too impatient to properly land on it. This time, after falling in the river, he stubbornly decided to fetch the flower his own way. He struggled against the current and attempted to climb the cliff face, but Nirmala used her own path to beat him to the flower.
That night, Chuluun led Makucha's army in another attack, but the Night Pride fended them off. Ora then resolved to take over and attack the pride head-on by the light of day.
The next morning, Kion used patience to properly land on a log, jump to the sandy shore, and climb the cliff trail. However, in the middle of the lesson, Nirmala was called away to deal with Makucha's army. The Night Pride battled against Makucha and his allies, but Baliyo got bitten by Ora, which paralyzed him. Kion spotted the disastrous battle but chose to finish his task first.
Once Kion grabbed the flower, he rushed to help the Night Pride. After the fight, Kion apologized to Nirmala, since his flower had gotten trampled in the fight. She explained that it was the task that had been important, not the flower. She then told him that he had completed the first step in his path toward healing.
===Mama Binturong's plot===
Mama Binturong plotted to invade the Tree of Life by pretending to seek sanctuary from Makucha and his army. The army enacted the plan, and the Night Pride fell for it, accepting Mama Binturong for healing at the Tree of Life.
Mama Binturong returned to her allies and instructed them to kill Janna while she distracted the Night Pride. The plan went into motion, with the Night Pride falling for Mama Binturong's cries for help. In the meantime, Makucha, Chuluun, and Ora snuck over the border.
After luring the Night Pride away with cries for help, Mama Binturong attacked Bunga and Binga. The Night Pride arrived, and Mama Binturong attempted to blame the honey badgers for the fight. However, Ullu arrived and informed the Night Pride of Mama Binturong's deception. Bunga and Binga then used their stench to defeat Mama Binturong.
===Frog exercise===
Nirmala gathered with Kion, Baliyo, Beshte, and Fuli to watch Bunga talk about Binga in his sleep. Afterward, she left with Kion to continue his healing.
Nirmala had Kion lie still, with tiny frogs hopping on him, in order to strengthen his patience. In the middle of the session, Rani interrupted and told Kion to come to the Tree of Life. There, she explained that Beshte was inadvertently terrifying the residents of the Tree of Life. Nirmala watched sadly.
Later, when Beshte's name was cleared, Nirmala watched happily as the animals cheered for him.
===Rani's coronation===
When Makucha's army attacked a tiger named Varya and her three cubs, the Night Pride and the Lion Guard arrived in the family's defense. As the Night Pride engaged Makucha's army in a fight, Rani ordered Nirmala to protect Varya. Once the attacking predators had been driven off, Nirmala comforted Varya about the ordeal.
Just then, Ullu arrived and told the Night Pride that Janna needed them right away. The Night Pride followed Ullu to the Tree of Life, where they noticed a crowd of animals gathering outside and realized that Janna was dying. At first, Baliyo refused to visit Janna out of fear, but with some encouragement from the Night Pride, he agreed to go in and see her.
Once the Night Pride had gathered in the Tree of Life, Janna expressed gratitude that Nirmala had joined the Night Pride so long ago. She then entrusted the Tree of Life's healing powers to Nirmala and encouraged her to continue to help those who were hurting. After bidding farewell to the rest of her family and friends, Janna died peacefully, and Nirmala grieved her death.
Later, Nirmala attended Janna's funeral at the Willows. During the ceremony, she commented that she and her friends could honor Janna by sharing memories of her. Fuli asked Nirmala what would happen next, and Nirmala explained that they must prepare for Rani's coronation. That evening, Nirmala attended Rani's coronation, where she performed a choral piece with Anga and Fuli, and cheered for the new queen.
===Pratibimba===
One day, Makucha and his army launched an attack on the Tree of Life. The Night Pride challenged them, though Baliyo's yawning exposed how exhausted they were from a night of patrolling. The Lion Guard arrived in time to help, but Kion and Rani's dual leadership resulted in confusion. Nirmala attempted to fight Chuluun but crashed into Fuli, who had been sent by Kion to complete the same task.
Eventually, the Lion Guard and the Night Pride succeeded in driving off the army. Kion offered to patrol the Tree of Life during the day in order to give the Night Pride time to rest, and Rani gratefully accepted his offer. Unbeknownst to the team, Mama Binturong was spying on their conversation from a nearby tree.
As the Lion Guard departed, Fuli told Rani that Kion did not appear to be healing, but Rani assured her that Nirmala knew what she was doing. However, as Rani joined back up with Baliyo and Surak, she admitted that Fuli may have been right.
Meanwhile, Nirmala led Kion to Pratibimba, or the Lake of Reflection. Nirmala explained that Kion's scar did not define him and that he must reflect on his past and future actions in order to remember who he was.
Later, Ullu warned the Lion Guard and the Night Pride that Makucha's army was launching another attack. The Night Pride arrived at the scene, and Kion led the two teams in their attack.
===Battle for the Tree of Life===
Makucha and his army snuck into the Tree of Life's territory due to Ullu falling asleep. The Night Pride arrived, only for the Lion Guard to take over the shift and defeat the army. After the fight, Bunga complimented Kion on his good leadership skills, and Nirmala agreed, adding that Kion's healing was complete.
Later, Makucha's army invaded the Tree of Life with new forces. Ullu warned the Night Pride about the army's attack, and they rushed to the Tree of Life, only to be shut in by a giant rock pushed by Ora and his minions. With the Night Pride out of commission, the army attacked the animals at the Tree of Life.
Kion, Bunga, and Rani arrived, and Kion used the Roar of the Elders to defeat the villains. He then struck the rock at the Tree of Life's entrance with lightning, destroying it and freeing the Night Pride.
===Kion's coronation===
Nirmala attended Kion and Rani's wedding.
==Physical appearance==
Nirmala is a small and slender lioness. Despite her size, she is an adept fighter, as she can take on large opponents like Chuluun and Makucha. Her main pelt is brown with a slight red tinge, while her chest, muzzle, and paws are tan. She has thick black eyebrows, several pale spots below her eyes, and dark stripes on the tops of her ears. Her eyes are blue. She wears a pink flower on her right ear.
==Personality and traits==
Nirmala is serene and pleasant. Despite being a member of the Night Pride, she is inclined to be peaceful and would rather work out conflict through talk than physical confrontation. As the Tree of Life's healer, she has extensive knowledge of the healing process and is patient with those she teaches.
==Appearances==
==Trivia==
* Nirmala was voiced by Miki Yamashita.
* Nirmala's name means "clear, pure, stainless, unsullied" in Hindi.
* Nirmala's catchphrase, "Aramakaro," means "take a rest" in Urdu.
==References==
Category:Animals of the Tree of Life
Category:Canon articles
Category:Characters
Category:Females
Category:The Lion Guard characters
Category:Lions
Category:Night Pride members