The Regular-Human Kenai

**Kenai** is The Male Human. He is The Younger Brother of Sitka and Denahi.

## Media Acting Users

### Somehow Entirely Voiced by

**Joaquin Phoenix -**- His Regular-Human-Teenage SelfJack Weber -**- His Regular-Human-Child Self**

## Loves And Hates

### DisLikes

Bears (formerly), his totem (formerly), Koda talking too much, Denahi teasing him, Sitka's death

## Known Media Appearances

### Somehow Entirely Voiced by

Joaquin Phoenix -**- His Regular-Human-Teenage Self****Jack Weber -**- His Regular-Human-Child Self

## Possession And Paraphernalias

Kenai was Born An-Regular Human. He grew up in his tribe under the watchful eye of his elder brothers, learning to hunt, fish, and honor the Great Spirits of the deceased. When he came of age, he was gifted with a totem, the Bear of Love, much to his disappointment. **Shortly after the ceremony, Kenai found that a bear had stolen his tribe's basket of fish and tracked it down with the intention of getting the basket back. However, the encounter led to a perilous fight between man and beast, which drew the attention of both Sitka and Denahi. During the fight, Sitka sacrificed himself to save his brothers, and Kenai became obsessed with tracking down and killing the bear to avenge his brother's death.** After a deadly fight on a mountain, Kenai killed the bear. **An fight ensued, in which Koda came to Kenai's rescue, but before Denahi could kill Kenai, Sitka transformed him back into a man, and Kenai reunited with his brothers**

## Biography

### Background

Kenai was born as the younger brother of Denahi and Sitka. It is implied that Sitka raised and took care of both him and Denahi. **As a child, Kenai formed a friendship with a girl from another tribe named Nita. The two often played together. One day, Nita fell through a frozen lake, and Kenai dove in after her, saving her life. While helping her recover at Hokani Falls, Kenai gave Nita an amulet. Unbeknownst to the two, the amulet bonded them in the eyes of the Great Spirits.**

### *Brother Bear*

One day, while out with his brothers, a rash adolescent Kenai foolishly starts a stampede of caribou. Exhilarated, he races toward his brothers, Sitka and Denahi, yelling at them to take cover, and the three boys take shelter behind their canoes. After the stampede passes, Kenai jokingly warns his brothers to never try milking a caribou, and a furious Denahi tackles Kenai to the ground, attempting to drool into his face. Sitka promptly splits his brothers apart and reminds them that they need to get along until their work is done. **With the argument behind them, the three brothers take to their canoes and paddle back to their village. Along the way, Sitka and Denahi attempt to catch fish while Kenai rides on a mammoth's back, disturbing their work.** Eventually, the brothers manage to catch a fair amount of salmon and return to the village, where Kenai is instructed to tie up their basket of fish. While working, he is approached by the village children, who question him on his totem. **Just then, the villagers call out that Kenai's ceremony is about to start, and Kenai rushes to finish tying up his basket. He finishes hastily, and the basket falls, splitting open on the ground. Kenai briefly considers going back for it, but decides instead to continue on to the village.** The ceremony begins, and Kenai comes forward to receive his facial painting marks from the village elder, Tanana. She questions him on whether he is nervous, and he tells her that he is excited. She then tells him that he should be, for his totem is a good one. To the crowd, she announces that she has been to the Mountain Where the Lights Touch the Earth and received Kenai's totem from the Great Spirits. She then presents Kenai with his totem, the Bear of Love, which severely dampens his enthusiasm. Kenai attempts to trade with someone else, but Tanana rebukes him, reminding him that he must let love guide his actions so that he can someday place his handprint on the wall of his ancestors. As the crowd cheers, Tanana lifts Kenai's hand, recognizing his status before the village. **After the ceremony, Kenai is teased relentlessly by Denahi, who nicknames him "Lover Boy" and throws a wreath of flowers on his head. Sitka arrives and sends Denahi to check on the fish, but before he leaves, Denahi throws one last playful jab at Kenai. Furious, Kenai attempts to throw a rock at Denahi until he is stopped by Sitka, who reminds Kenai that a totem does not necessarily symbolize a trait one carries. He then points out Denahi, whose totem is wisdom, and explains how he is not necessarily wise because of it.** Sitka goes on to admit that he had had misgivings about his totem at first as well, but had eventually realized that he was supposed to take care of his brothers. Kenai expresses his desire to place his handprint on the wall of his ancestors, and Sitka tells him to be patient and that if he lives by his totem, he will. **In the middle of Kenai's conversation with Sitka, Denahi accuses Kenai of having failed to tie up their basket and shows him that a bear has stolen their fish and made off with the basket. Though Sitka encourages Denahi to simply make another basket, Denahi insists that Kenai make the new basket, since he is always messing up their plans. As the brothers argue, Kenai fetches his spear and takes off after the bear, ignoring Sitka's protests.** Eventually, Kenai catches up to the bear and sees that the basket has been torn to shreds. He throws a rock at the bear, antagonizing it, and the two get into a brief scuffle. When the bear roars and takes a swipe at Kenai, he cries out and falls onto a steep ledge, alerting Sitka and Denahi to his presence. Sitka attempts to help Kenai up the ledge, but Kenai warns him to keep away from the bear. Too late, the bear approaches, roaring over Sitka. **Just then, Denahi arrives and begins tossing stones at the bear, distracting it from its fight with Kenai and Sitka. As Sitka helps Kenai up the ledge, Denahi leads the bear onto an unstable glacier and falls through a fissure in the ice. Kenai struggles to help Denahi climb back to safety, while Sitka takes on the bear. However, the bear overpowers Sitka and begins advancing on Kenai and Denahi. This leads Sitka to stab his spear into the ice and break apart the glacier in an effort to save his brothers, though both the bear and Sitka fall into the water below.** Together, Kenai and Denahi climb down the glacier and begin searching the water for Sitka. Eventually, Denahi finds Sitka's hood. Kenai refuses to accept that Sitka is dead and continues to comb the water for any signs of his brother, but Denahi resignedly gives up the search. **That night, the tribe holds a funeral for Sitka in which his totem is burned, thus releasing his spirit to the heavens. Though Denahi watches the proceedings in sorrow, Kenai broils with rage and departs early to collect his spear. He soon returns to the funeral pyre and tosses Denahi a spear of his own, telling him that they must hunt down the bear to avenge Sitka's death. Denahi refuses and claims that it is wrong to kill the bear, but Kenai accuses the bear of having killed their brother. Coldly, Denahi retorts that he does not blame the bear for Sitka's death, then tells Kenai that killing the bear will not make him a man. In response, Kenai asserts that a man would not stand by and do nothing. Denahi attempts to warn Kenai to not upset the Great Spirits, but Kenai merely scoffs at him and throws his totem in a pile of embers.** Once Kenai departs the village, he tracks the bear's paw prints as well as signs of its passing until he reaches a berry thicket. There, he stops to rest briefly, but the bear soon emerges from the underbrush, though it flees at Kenai's presence. Kenai pursues the bear, eventually cornering it atop a mountain. The two engage in a fight, and Kenai narrowly manages to fatally impale the bear on his spear. **After the bear's death, Kenai releases an anguished cry, which is heard by Denahi, who had been in pursuit so as to stop the fight.** Once atop the mountain, Kenai calls out for Sitka's spirit, but Denahi emerges instead. The two engage in a brief struggle until Denahi manages to pin Kenai to the snow. However, right before Denahi can deliver the final blow, Koda appears and knocks him aside. Once Denahi recovers, he lunges for his spear, but Koda seizes it in his jaws and drags it out of the hunter's reach. As Denahi chases after the cub, Kenai calls out for Koda and attacks Denahi, who takes up his spear and hefts it in Kenai's direction. **Right before Kenai can be impaled on Denahi's spear, Sitka's eagle form lifts Kenai out of harm's reach. As Denahi looks on, Sitka transforms Kenai back into a human, then emerges in human form before his brothers. An incredulous Denahi realizes that the bear he had been hunting was Kenai, and he throws his spear away in disgust. Meanwhile, Sitka takes Denahi's cloak and gives it to Kenai.** From a nearby rock, Koda makes soft noises, drawing Kenai's attention. Slowly, Kenai approaches Koda, causing the cub to back away in fear, but Kenai tells him to not be afraid and reveals his identity. Recognizing Kenai, Koda bounds into his arms, and the two embrace. Sitka then proffers Kenai's totem, which Kenai takes and shows to Koda. **Addressing Sitka, Kenai states that Koda needs him. Denahi jokes that Kenai did look better as a bear, and though Kenai initially laughs, he soon grows somber and wonders at Denahi's fate. Denahi tells Kenai that he will be all right and that they will always be brothers, no matter what Kenai chooses.**

## Physical appearance

Kenai wears a golden parka with white trim. After his ceremony, he wears his totem around his neck. **As a human, Kenai is somewhat small, being the shortest and rangiest of his brothers. He is several inches shorter than both Denahi and Sitka, with thinner shoulders and a slightly smaller build. He has bronze skin, like his tribesmen, and black hair that hangs past his ears. His eyes are brown.** It is a running gag that Kenai has a "fat head," both as a human and as a bear.

## Personality and traits

Kenai is an impulsive, hot-headed youth with a penchant for mischief. Unlike his more responsible brothers, Denahi and Sitka, Kenai enjoys goofing around and shirking his work. He and Denahi have an especially teasing relationship, with both brothers making fun of and playing pranks on the other. However, Kenai's more frivolous nature often annoys Denahi, especially when Kenai ruins Denahi's hard work with his antics. **One of Kenai's biggest flaws is his need to prove his own capability and strength. He chafes at his totem for being centered around love, as he does not see the value in such a virtue, and never takes time to consider alternative viewpoints, instead reacting with hostility and self-righteousness to any who challenge him. He is brash and quick to anger, and often jumps headfirst into situations, causing undue problems and trouble.** His anger becomes especially extreme after Sitka's death. He hunts down the bear responsible in a blind, bloodthirsty rage and does not allow the bear any chance of escape. He provokes the fight, just as he had initially, and fights with a vengeance.

## Trivia

* Kenai is voiced by Joaquin Phoenix in *Brother Bear*. He is voiced by Patrick Dempsey in *Brother Bear 2*.
* Kenai is named for the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska.