Zira's ambush

Zira's ambush was an assassination attempt on Simba by Zira and the Outsiders. The ambush failed, instead resulting in Nuka's death and Kovu's abandonment of the Outsiders.
==Information==
===Background===
As part of her plan to dethrone Simba and instate Kovu, Scar's heir, as king, Zira sent her son into the Pride Lands to befriend Kiara, earn Simba's trust, and ultimately kill him. However, Kovu fell in love with Kiara and abandoned his part in the plot. When Vitani observed Kovu refrain from killing Simba despite being alone with him, she immediately reported her brother's betrayal to Zira.
===The ambush===
The following day, in an attempt to befriend Kovu, Simba took the young lion on a walk in order to tell him the true story of Scar. At the story's conclusion, Simba remarked that the younger generation could be better than the generation before, if given the chance. Just then, the Outsiders surrounded them, and Zira congratulated Kovu for having gotten Simba alone. Kovu protested his innocence, but before he could explain himself, Zira ordered the attack.
Immediately, the Outsiders swarmed Simba. Kovu tried to defend the king but was knocked unconscious by Vitani. While trying to escape his attackers, Simba slipped and fell into the gorge. He fled through the chasm, closely pursued by the Outsiders. He reached a dam of logs and proceeded to climb it, while the Outsiders halted at the foot of the pile.
Just then, Kovu, having come to, appeared at the rim of the gorge. Zira ordered him to kill Simba, but he disappeared. Eager to prove himself, Nuka resolved to kill Simba instead. He ascended the dam, but just as he grabbed Simba's hind paw, the logs underneath him gave way, and he tumbled down the pile. Simba reached the rim of the gorge and leapt to it from the dam, causing loose logs to fall on Nuka, burying him.
As Simba fled, Kovu appeared at the bottom of the dam and started digging through the scattered logs. He was knocked aside by Zira, who uncovered a battered, dying Nuka. Nuka apologized for failing his mother, then died in her embrace. The Outsiders took a moment to mourn Nuka's death before Zira turned on Kovu, slashing him across the eye and giving him a scar identical to Scar's. She accused Kovu of betraying both Scar and his pride and of killing his own brother, a condemnation that prompted Kovu to abandon the Outsiders. As Kovu fled to the Pride Lands, Zira rallied her followers to take Simba's kingdom by force.
==Appearances==
*The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
*The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (Grolier edition)
*The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (Little Golden Book)
*The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (Mouse Works edition)
*The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (Read Along edition)
==Trivia==
* During early production of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Nuka had an extended death scene. As he lay crushed beneath logs, Zira cradled his head gently with one paw. He managed to say, "Well, I finally got your attention, didn't I?" She smiled at him, and he croaked a final "Didn't I...?" before he finally died.
==Media==
The Lion King II- Simba's Pride - The Attack|Zira's ambush, as depicted in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.
The Lion King II- Simba's Pride - Nuka's Death|Nuka's death, as depicted in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.
The Lion King II- Simba's Pride - Kovu's Scar|Zira condemns Kovu, as depicted in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.
==References==
Category:Battles
Category:Canon articles
Category:Events