Vitani

Vitani is a female lion. She was the scout and second-in-command of the Outsiders until she reformed and joined Simba's pride. She currently serves as the leader of the Lion Guard. She is the daughter of Zira, and the sister of Kovu and Nuka.
Due to Zira's loyalty to the late king of Pride Rock, Scar, Vitani and her family were exiled to the Outlands by Simba. There, she and her brothers were raised to believe that the Pride Landers were their enemies and that Kovu was the rightful king of the Pride Lands. However, during the final battle between the feuding prides, Kiara swayed Vitani to switch her allegiance and join Simba's pride.
In Kion's absence from the Pride Lands, Vitani formed her own Lion Guard. However, when Kion returned to the Pride Lands with his own Lion Guard, the two groups engaged in a competition so they could determine which Lion Guard had the right to protect the Pride Lands. During her showdown with Kion, Vitani called for a mashindano and declared that she did not need the Roar of the Elders to lead the Lion Guard. This ultimately swayed Kion to forfeit his position as the leader of the Lion Guard to Vitani and allow her team to take over defense of the Pride Lands.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Vitani was born to Zira. She had an older brother, Nuka, and a younger brother, Kovu. The cubs lived under the reign of Scar, who chose Kovu to be his heir and protégé. However, when Simba returned to the Pride Lands and deposed Scar, he rejected Kovu's claim to the throne. Infuriated, Zira attacked Simba, but he defeated her easily and exiled her, her family, and her followers to the Outlands.
While in exile, Zira raised her cubs to hate the Pride Landers and blame Simba for Scar's death. They considered Kovu to be the "Chosen One."
===Cubhood===
====Zira's plot====
One day, Vitani wrestled with a dry tree root near the termite mounds. Nuka approached and asked her where Kovu was, after which he snapped her root with a claw. As she went flying backward, Nuka laughed at her. Upon regaining her feet, Vitani paced toward Nuka and asked if he had left Kovu on his own again. Nuka pointed out that it was "every lion for himself" in the Outlands and that Kovu had to learn to look after himself. Vitani retorted that Zira would be angry with him, for she had told him to watch Kovu, but Nuka complained that he should have been the Chosen One and that he could be a leader if Zira would just give him a chance. Vitani expressed her doubt, then sarcastically told him that now was his chance.
No sooner had Vitani said this when Zira approached with Kovu, and Vitani challenged Kovu to a fight. Shortly afterward, Zira plotted to use Kovu to infiltrate Simba's pride, assassinate Simba, and become the new king of Pride Rock. Vitani expressed genuine enthusiasm for Kovu, while Nuka only did so reluctantly.
====Skirmish with Jasiri's clan====
When the Outsiders drove a clan of hyenas from their watering hole, the clan's leader, Jasiri, appealed to her friend, Kion, for help. Kion and Jasiri entered the Outlands together, and Kovu and Nuka escorted them to Zira. Upon learning that Kion was Simba's son, Zira introduced herself and Vitani to him, and Vitani expressed skepticism about his friendship with a hyena.
Eventually, Kion and Zira left the watering hole to discuss the Roar of the Elders. After her talk with Kion, Zira returned to her children and lied to Jasiri that Kion had allowed the Outsiders to keep the watering hole. She then took her cubs to where she had surrounded Kion with her lionesses.
During the ensuing confrontation, the rest of Lion Guard arrived to help Kion fight the Outsiders, and Fuli pinned Vitani to the ground. Eventually, the Lion Guard backed the Outsiders up against a wall, and Kion used the Roar of the Elders to blast them away. The Outsiders landed near the termite mounds, and Zira declared that the area was their new home.
===Young adulthood===
====Kiara's first hunt====
As part of Zira's plot to disrupt Kiara's first hunt, Vitani and Nuka traveled to the Elephant Graveyard. Once there, the two overlooked the area, and Vitani scoffed at Nuka's discomfort. She proceeded to approach a section of geysers, one of which she used to set a shoot ablaze. Prompting Nuka to hurry, she picked up her fiery shoot and bounded away.
Once in the Pride Lands, Vitani and Nuka spotted Kiara hunting and set the nearby grasslands ablaze. In the midst of setting the savanna on fire, Nuka accidentally surrounded himself in flames and leaped away. As he laughed over his near-escape, Vitani grabbed him and pulled him away from the scene.
====Ambush on Simba====
Following Kovu's acceptance into Simba's pride, Vitani spied on Kovu and Simba as they walked into the den of Pride Rock. At first, she urged Kovu on in the hopes that he would attack Simba, but when the two entered the den peacefully, she fled to the Outlands and reported what she had seen to Zira. Furious, Zira asked Vitani if she was sure of what she had witnessed, and Vitani confirmed that she had watched Kovu's betrayal with her own eyes.
Later, when Simba took Kovu to the edge of the Pride Lands, the Outsiders surrounded them, and Zira mocked Simba for being "so alone." She then praised Kovu for doing as they had always planned, which infuriated Simba and made him believe that Kovu was a traitor. Though Kovu insisted that he had not been part of the ambush, Zira ordered an attack, and the Outsiders converged on Simba. Kovu attempted to defend Simba from the Outsiders, but Vitani kicked him into a rock, which rendered him unconscious.
Eventually, Simba got overwhelmed by the Outsiders and fell down a ridge into a gorge. The Outsiders raced after him and chased him through the gorge until he reached a pile of logs. As Simba began to clamber up the log pile, Kovu appeared on a ridge above the logs and ignored his mother's orders to finish off Simba himself. In Kovu's stead, Nuka climbed up the log pile to attack Simba, but he lost his footing and got crushed and killed by falling logs.
Following Nuka's death, Vitani mourned alongside her mother. An infuriated Zira slashed Kovu across the face in retribution and blamed him for Nuka's death. Distressed, Kovu ran away, but Zira ordered the Outsiders to let him go. She then reminded them that Simba was injured and weak, and that it was therefore the perfect time to attack. She finished her speech by asserting that they would take the entire Pride Lands by force, which caused the Outsiders to rear onto their hind legs and roar in agreement.
====Pride Lander-Outsider battle====
Together, the Outsiders invaded the Pride Lands and faced off against Simba's pride near the gorge. Though Simba gave Zira one last chance to leave, she refused and ordered an attack. As the prides leaped into battle, Vitani approached Nala, mocked her about Kiara's absence, and pounced on her.
In the midst of the battle, Kovu and Kiara appeared and argued that the prides should stop fighting, as they were "one." Though Simba listened to the two's call for peace, Zira spurned Kovu and instead ordered Vitani to attack. To Zira's surprise, Vitani refused and stated that Kiara was right. She then marched across the field to stand next to Kovu and implored her mother to stop the fighting. Zira merely told Vitani that if she would not fight, then she would die as well. Disgusted, the remaining Outsiders abandoned Zira and joined Simba's pride on the opposite side of the field.
After the union of the prides, the Outsiders attended Kovu and Kiara's wedding at Pride Rock. Along with the Pride Landers, they bowed as Simba and Nala, then Kovu and Kiara passed them on their way to the promontory. Upon reaching the promontory, the monarchs roared over their kingdom, and the combined prides roared in answer.
====Battle of the Lion Guards====
After hearing that Zira was planning to attack the Pride Lands, the Lion Guard returned to their homeland to help defend against the invasion. Not recognizing Kion because of his scar, Vitani believed the Lion Guard to be enemies and ordered her own Lion Guard to attack them. As the fight between the two Lion Guards escalated, Kion readied to use the Roar of the Elders on Vitani and her lionesses, but Kovu and Kiara intervened and revealed that the Outsiders had joined Simba's pride.
The next day, Kion's Lion Guard entered the Lair of the Lion Guard, only to find Vitani's Lion Guard already inside. Vitani explained that, as the future king's sister, she believed that it was her responsibility to protect the Pride Lands, while Kion argued that he was the future queen's brother and had the mark of the Guard along with the Roar of the Elders. Despite Kion's assertions, Vitani and her teammates refused to back down.
Just then, Laini rushed into the Lair of the Lion Guard, yelling for the Lion Guard. When both Vitani and Kion answered her, she looked between them in confusion, then told them that there was an emergency that required their attention. After some arguing, the two Lion Guards agreed to help Laini together. Following Laini, the Lion Guards found Thurston trapped in a hole, but they spent so much time arguing with one another that Azaad had to step in and save Thurston himself. Kion pointed out that they could not protect the Pride Lands with so much conflict between them, and so Thurston advised them to have a formal competition to determine whose Lion Guard had the right to protect the Pride Lands.
Heeding Thurston's advise, the Lion Guards engaged in a formal competition to decide which of them was more worthy to defend the Pride Lands. After each side earned two wins, Vitani called for a mashindano against Kion. Shocked, Kion told Vitani that she did not stand a chance against him, as he had the Roar of the Elders, but Vitani insisted that she did not need the Roar because she was fierce enough to lead the Lion Guard without it.
Realizing that Vitani was worthy to lead the Lion Guard, Kion forfeited his title to her and bestowed the mark of the Guard on her. Vitani then used the Roar of the Elders, and her lionesses each got their mark of the Guard. Afterward, Askari's spirit appeared in the heavens and commended Kion for his mastery of the Roar. Vitani asked Kion what it meant to master the Roar, and Kion demonstrated by using the Roar to lift Pride Rock. Impressed, Vitani echoed Kion's catchphrase, "Hevi kabisa!"
==Physical appearance==
As a cub, Vitani was small, lanky, and thin. She was slightly smaller and scruffier than her brother, Kovu. Like the rest of her pride, she had sharp features and a distinctive curved nose. Her main pelt was tangerine, while her muzzle, paws, and underbelly were cream. She had several distinctions, including dark eye rims and inner ears, thin black eyebrows, a head tuft, and a light brown tail tip. Her eyes were lavender.
As a young adult, Vitani grew to be larger and rangier, with the same angular features and gaunt frame. Despite her relatively weak built, she proved to be a powerful fighter, as she held her own against the full-grown Simba and rendered Kovu unconscious by kicking him into a rock. Her pelt dulled to a brownish-tan, and both her eyebrows and head tuft grew longer. Additionally, she gained several new features, including dark ear rims and freckles on her muzzle.
After rejoining Simba's pride, Vitani gained muscle and weight, and her fur became sleeker and more groomed. She has a red lion's head marking on her left shoulder due to her position as the leader of the Lion Guard.
==Personality and traits==
As a cub, Vitani was aggressive, ferocious, and vengeful. Like her brothers, Kovu and Nuka, she was raised to resent the Pride Landers and blame Simba for Scar's deposition and death. She frequently expressed enthusiasm for her mother Zira's revenge plots and admired Kovu for being the Chosen One, to the annoyance and chagrin of Nuka. She had a dry and derisive sense of humor and often used sarcasm to assert her opinions.
Upon reaching adulthood, Vitani became even more hostile, bloodthirsty, and bent on revenge. She served as a scout for Zira and willingly followed her into battle against their pride's enemies, even Kovu. Despite her more vicious nature, Vitani expressed genuine sorrow over Nuka's death and was the first of the Outsiders to agree with Kiara's call for peace.
Upon reintegrating into Simba's pride, Vitani became significantly more temperate, though she retained her fondness for battle, as seen when she gleefully took on Kion in a border skirmish. Her confidence and independent nature led her to form her own Lion Guard and assert its legitimacy over Kion's, despite her status as a relative newcomer to the Pride Lands and a former Outsider. In the ensuing Battle of the Lion Guards, during which her team and Kion's competed for the right to protect the Pride Lands, she demonstrated tenacity, determination, and strong leadership skills. Even in the face of an impossible victory against Kion, she held to the belief that she was fierce enough to lead the Lion Guard without the Roar of the Elders. This ultimately convinced Kion that she was worthy to lead the Lion Guard and wield the Roar of the Elders.
==Appearances==
==Trivia==
===General===
* Vitani was voiced by the following:
** In The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, she was voiced by Lacey Chabert as a cub and Meredith Scott Lynn as an adult.
** In The Lion Guard, she was voiced by Lacey Chabert.
* Vitani was animated by Kevin Peaty in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.
** Peaty also animated Zira in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.
* Vitani's name means "ducks" or "linens, flax" in Swahili.
* Vitani is the first female leader of the Lion Guard, and her Lion Guard is the first whose members are all female.
* Like the other Outsiders, adult Vitani keeps her claws extended at all times. However, after she joins Simba's pride, her claws retract. Likewise, the other Outsiders retract their claws after Simba welcomes them back to Pride Rock.
* In The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, the Outsiders already live in the termite mounds by the time Kovu meets Kiara. However, in the "Lions of the Outlands" episode of The Lion Guard, the Outsiders move into the termite mounds for the first time, despite Kovu mentioning that his encounter with Kiara has already taken place.
===In development===
* In early drafts of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Vitani had no relation to Kovu. Rather, she harbored romantic feelings for him.
* In a deleted scene, Vitani and Nuka bring news to Zira that Simba's cub is a girl. Zira gloats over the news and speaks to Scar's spirit, calling herself his "loving, devoted queen." This implies that Scar was originally going to be Kovu, Nuka, and Vitani's father.
** A portion of this scene is retained in several books inspired by the film, including the Mouse Works edition.
* According to Simba's Pride writer Flip Kobler, Vitani was considered to be Scar's daughter during production. Darrell Rooney notes that Zira and Scar's relationship was 'obscured' to make her just a follower, indicating that Vitani is not related to Scar, though it is uncomfirmed.
==References==
Category:Antagonists
Category:Canon articles
Category:Characters
Category:Females
Category:Leaders
Category:The Lion Guard characters
Category:The Lion Guard members
Category:The Lion King II: Simba's Pride characters
Category:Lions
Category:Outlanders
Category:Outsiders
Category:Pride Landers