Kenge

Kenge is a monitor lizard character that appears in the Disney Jr. animated series The Lion Guard.
==Background==
===Personality===
Kenge is described as "a leader who won't take orders from anyone." He is described as having an "intimidating, ferocious nature." He is also extremely ruthless when he tried to attack zebras and gazelles, then bit Fuli, Kion, and Beshte when they confronted him. He hates being called a little lizard to the point where he hates any mention of the word little to the point where it is a trigger word with him. Much like his friend Ushari, he has a hatred toward Bunga. He is also extremely confident in his abilities.
===Abilities===
*Venom: Being a monitor lizard, Kenge's teeth contain paralyzing venom. His venomous bite is able to paralyze any animal in seconds except for animals that have an immunity to venom like Honey badgers. The effect takes a while to wear off. The effects wear off sooner with the right herbs.
*Hunting: Kenge is a hunter, thus he is resourceful and cunning to track prey.
*Speed and Agility: Kenge is fast and agile enough to catch Fuli to bite before she could use her full speed, was able to bite Kion before he could get back up and could catch up to Bunga. He is flexible enough to swing his body and tail.
*Strength and Combat: Thanks to his size, Kenge can concentrate his natural strength to deliver blunt force and grip, most notably with his jaws and tail.
*Endurance and Stamina: He was able to take an attack of melon on his head. Also, his stamina is quite high to attack the Lion Guard and able to travel a distance before attacking Bunga.
*Intelligent: He proved to be smart enough to know that Lion Guard will be easily lured out by attacking animals in the Pride Lands.
==Role in the series==
Kenge makes his debut appearance in "The Bite of Kenge" as an antagonist. He is the most powerful and dangerous of Ushari's minions.
Janja and his clan return to their den, where they explain how they tried to take some tikiti melons, but were thwarted by the Lion Guard, to Scar and Ushari. After hearing Janja's story, Scar deduces that destroying the melon supply could offset the Circle of Life, as it would dehydrate the elephants who need the tikiti melons, and orders the hyenas to return to the fruit patch. Janja protests the idea as foolishness, but Ushari volunteers to connect them with a powerful friend of his who can help them. He then sings "Big Bad Kenge", in which he boasts of his friend Kenge's great speed and deadly bite.
Once back in the Pride Lands, the hyenas meet Kenge for the first time. They are thoroughly intimidated by his massive size and strength and ask him if he will help them find the Lion Guard. Kenge merely declares that he is going to wait until they find him.
Later that day, Ono spots a skirmish at the Watering Hole, and the Lion Guard arrives to find Kenge making a scene. The team leaps into battle, but Kenge manages to bite Kion, Fuli, and Beshte, paralyzing them. Just in time, Bunga steps in and breaks wind in Kenge's face, causing the lizard and his hyena minions to retreat.
At the melon patch, Kenge quickly assumes authority over the hyenas, ordering them to roll the melons out of the patch. Just in time, Bunga and Ono arrive, with Bunga taking on Kenge while Ono stops the hyenas from stealing the melons. At first, the two seem to succeed in their endeavor, but then Kenge manages to bite Ono on the wing, paralyzing him and effectively removing him from the fight. Bunga attacks Kenge but is bitten himself, allowing Kenge and his hyena allies to escape with the melons. However, once the danger is over, Bunga realizes that he is immune to Kenge's venom.
Bunga and Makini follow Kenge and the hyenas to Embamba Canyon, where Bunga distracts the thieves while Makini steals their melons and hides them behind rocks. While ridiculing his enemies, Bunga stumbles upon Kenge's trigger word, little He uses the word to his advantage, spinning Kenge into a fury and causing him to chase Bunga around the canyon. In his attempts to catch Bunga, Kenge accidentally bites Cheezi and Chungu, paralyzing them. He nearly bites Janja when a melon is thrown his way, and he turns his attention to Makini. She throws her bakora staff at him to keep him back, but he simply snaps it in half with his teeth.
Just then, a fully healed Lion Guard approaches. The hyenas attempt to run but are hindered by their paralyzed legs. Taking advantage of this, Kion uses the Roar of the Elders to blast Kenge and the hyenas back to the Outlands.
In "The Scorpion's Sting", Kenge is seen to take down the Lion Guard along with the rest of Scar's army but defeated when Kion uses the Roar of the Elders to clear a path out.
==Relationships==
===Friends===
====Scar====
Kenge and Scar are good friends. Kenge becomes part of his army when Ushari calls for his help.
====Ushari====
Ushari and Kenge are good friends. Ushari describes him as "Big Bad Kenge." They work together in Scar's Army.
====Janja's Clan====
Janja's Clan was afraid of Kenge at first, as they didn't even wanna be friends. After attacking the Lion Guard they become closer friends. The hyenas were impressed with Kenge on how he attacked the Guard.
===Acquaintances===
====Reirei's Pack====
Kenge is on good terms with Reirei's Pack.
====Kiburi's Float====
Kenge is on good terms with Kiburi's Float.
====Mzingo's Parliament====
Kenge is on good terms with Mzingo and his vultures.
===Enemies===
====Bunga====
Kenge hates the honey badger after he foiled his plans to take away the elephants' melons, and for also calling him a "little lizard" repeatably, angering him so much which is what in part ruined the plan after he bit all the hyenas as he tried to eat Bunga.
He also failed to harm him a second time after he and the rest of Army of Scar cornered him and his friends until the cub roared at him again, allowing him to escape the lizard's bite.
Out of all the members of the Lion Guard, Kenge seems to hate Bunga the most.
====Kion, Fuli, Beshte, and Ono====
Kenge hates the rest of the members of the Lion Guard. Kenge bit all of them and made their legs stop working.
====Makini====
Kenge hates Makini since she helped saved the melons.
==Gallery==
The Lion King - 2x11 - The Bite of Kenge - Kenge and Bunga.jpg|Kenge and Bunga
The-bite-of-kenge_(224).png|Kenge biting Fuli
The-bite-of-kenge_(232).png|Kenge biting Kion
The-bite-of-kenge_(236).png|Kenge biting Beshte
The-bite-of-kenge_(415).png|Kenge biting Ono
The-bite-of-kenge_(428).png|Kenge biting Bunga
The-bite-of-kenge_(542).png|Kenge accidentally biting Cheezi
The-bite-of-kenge_(551).png|Kenge accidentally biting Chungu
The-bite-of-kenge_(565).png|Kenge accidentally biting Janja
The-bite-of-kenge_(593).png|Kenge's defeat
==Trivia==
*He is one of the few guest characters to get a sneak peek clip and was anticipated to appear in The Lion Guard at least a month before he debuted so far. The others are Jasiri, Makuu, Reirei, Mpishi, Makini, and Kiburi so far.
*Kenge's head seems to be more closely based on a Rock Monitor Lizard, the second largest lizard in Africa, rather than the very closely related Nile Monitor Lizard, the largest lizard in Africa, despite appearing almost exactly like a large Nile Monitor Lizard including size.
*Kenge means "Monitor Lizard" in Swahili.
*Due to a comment from Ford Riley, Kenge apparently defected from the Army of Scar, not wanting to be roared at again.
**Whether or not he continued to reside in the Outlands and reform along with the other Outlanders under the rule of Jasiri, or left the Outlands prior to the battle for the Pride Lands is unknown.
***It's likely the latter occurred as Kenge is not shown during or after the battle, implying he fled the Outlands.
==References==
Category:Characters
Category:The Lion Guard characters
Category:African characters
Category:Disney Jr. characters
Category:Lizards
Category:Villains
Category:Males
Category:Disney characters
Category:Animated characters
Category:TV Animation characters
Category:Henchmen