Rani

Queen Rani (by all)

Sis/sister (by Baliyo)

**Rani** is a teenage lioness that was introduced in Season 3 of *The Lion Guard*, starting in the episode "The Tree of Life". Rani serves as the main deuteragonist of the series. She is the leader of the Night Pride and eventually ascends the throne becoming Queen of the Tree of Life with Kion as both her King and mate.

## Background

### Personality

Rani is a strong-willed and kind-hearted lioness who takes her duty as a leader seriously, prioritizing the safety of the animals in the Tree of Life. However, she can be quite short-tempered and moody, assuming things before thinking it through and sometimes let her emotions got the better of her, a lesson which she later learned.

Beneath Rani's strong attitude, she actually hides her insecurity at the prospect of becoming the next queen, feeling that she's not ready or good enough yet to rule. With Kion and Makini's help, Rani eventually able to overcome her inner doubts and embraces her role as queen. After becoming the queen, Rani grows calmer and wiser in taking action and decisions, earning her deeper respect from her subjects.

### Physical appearance

Rani is a slender young lioness who has chestnut fur with a dark brown stripe running down her back. The top of her ears are lined with a similar brown, and her pink inner ears have dark brown fur underneath. She has a red nose and her eyes are chocolate brown, and just above them is tawny, with the lower half becoming lighter.

This brown-cream color is also present on her muzzle, her underbelly, and her paws. The back of her legs contains dark markings, similar to Kion's. The tip of her tail is dark brown. She also has a scar on her lower right foreleg from unknown circumstances.

## Role in the Series

### ***The Tree of Life***

 File:Rani Kion2.jpg
Rani and the Night Pride mistake the Lion Guard, who came to cure Kion's scar and Ono's eyesight, as hostile animals, leading to a confrontation between the two and Rani forbids them from ever entering the Tree of Life (while disregarding it was her brother who started the conflict). She consults with her grandmother and Queen of Tree of Life, Janna, about the Lion Guard. Hearing about the Roar of the Elders, Janna insists that the Lion Guard is welcomed to the Tree of Life. Rani then confides to the spirit of her parents about her doubt in letting the Lion Guard enter the Tree of Life. When the Lion Guard comes and Kion apologizes and pleads for them to cure Ono's eyesight if they refuse to heal him, Rani is touched by Kion's concern for his friend and welcomes the Lion Guard to the Tree of Life.

### ***The River of Patience***

While Kion and Ono are recovering, the Tree of Life is ambushed by Makucha, Chuluun, and Ora. Rani and her pride easily chase them away because of the three intruders are unable to work together properly. Upon hearing that Makucha and the others have followed the Lion Guard, Rani blames them for leading the villains to the Tree of Life. Kion tries to make it up by helping the Night Pride dealing with Makucha's group, but Rani insists that her pride can deal with them alone.

Makucha, Chuluun, and Ora try to get to the Tree of Life again through another path. She and her pride are surrounded when Ora manages to bite her brother, Baliyo, with his poison, leaving him paralyzed and defenseless, but Kion joins the fight. While Ora runs away after Kion joins, Makucha and Chuluun goes through the hill, but are intercepted by Kion and Rani respectively. From this fight, Rani starts to see Kion and his friends in a new light.

### ***Little Old Ginterbong***

Rani and her pride received a report that Makucha and his group is attacking an animal again. Rani arrives with her pride to save the supposedly injured Mama Binturong, who is actually working together with Makucha and the others. Rani welcomes Mama Binturong into the Tree of Life while inadvertently giving her information that Mama Binturong takes advantage of together with Makucha, Chuluun, and Ora. Fortunately, Ono was able to figure out their plan, allowing the Night Pride and the Lion Guard to stop the attack.

### ***Poa the Destroyer***

After being rudely called a destructive animal by the tundra animals, Rani and Baliyo are concerned why would Beshte attack Ullu, the owl who constantly warns the Night Pride about danger to which Rani and Baliyo decide to handle the situation about "Poa the Destroyer". Upon realizing that "Poa" is actually Beshte's catchphrase and not a name, Rani decides to talk to Kion about this incident with the tundra animals while telling Baliyo to find the Guard.

When Rani and Baliyo are talking to the tundra animals at the Tree of Life about the situation about Beshte, Pinguino then forgives Beshte for being rude to him as Rani notices the tundra animals being respectful to Beshte by praising him for saving him.

### **Long Live the Queen**

 File:Rani Cry.jpg
Not long after Ono is healed, Rani, her pride, and Kion are called by the dying Janna who entrusts the role as queen of Tree of Life to Rani. As Janna passes away, Rani and the animals present mourn for her. Rani confides to Kion that she worries she can't become a good queen. Kion tells her his own experience when he was first appointed to become the leader and assures her she'll able to pull it through as he did. When Kion reveals that he has no courage to speak with Mufasa until his scar healed, Rani encourages him to talk with Mufasa as he may help him feel better. To lift up Rani's spirit, Makini shows her paintings of the Tree of Life's past so that Rani can have and see the wisdom that Janna left behind at any time. In the afternoon, Rani is officially crowned as the new queen of Tree of Life, gaining her confidence in ruling her home.

### ***The Lake of Reflection***

While Rani is getting used to her role as queen, she notices Kion has lost confidence in leading the Guard without the roar and suggests the rest of the Guard assure him otherwise. When Kion decides to train his Roar on his own at Cikha Escarpment, Rani realizes that the Roar is returning to the Tree of Life and leaves with Bunga to speak with Kion. At the training site, she and Bunga are astonished to see the result of Kion's training. Hearing that the rest of the Lion Guard is fighting against another attack from Makucha and his group, this time bringing a back-up with them, Rani quickly returns with Kion and Bunga. She watches as Kion uses his new Roar in a verity of different ways to beat the villains and free the Night Pride, and then creates a twister that carry's the bad guys far far away from the Tree of Life never to be seen again. Rani then asks Kion and his friends to stay in the Tree of Life.

### ***Journey to the Pride Lands***

 File:Journey to the Pride Lands (2).jpg
While Kion is considering Rani's offer, Rani approaches him to ask if he has come up with his answer. The two lions then spend the day together walking through the Tree of Life and express their love for each other. Rani once again asks him to stay and this time also asks him to become her King, surprising Kion. Before Kion could answer, Bunga and the others arrive. The Lion Guard contemplates Rani's offer but is interrupted by Azaad, Jasiri, and Janja's arrival who tells them that Zira has returned and is planning to attack the Pride Lands with her pride.

Understanding that the Lion Guard still has the responsibility to defend the Pride Lands as long as they bear the mark of the Lion Guard, Rani bids them farewell and tells them that she has considered each one of them as part of her pride. She bestows them the mark of the Tree of Life and tells them that they'll always be welcomed in Tree of Life. She and Makini watch them leave, with Rani waiting for their next visit.

### ***Return to the Pride Lands***

 File:LG Return.100
After Kion decides to pass on the role of the Lion Guard to Vitani and her lionesses, (which grants Kion full mastery of the Roar in the process) Kion returns to the Tree of Life along with his family and friends where Kion accepts Rani's proposal and the two of them are officially married to which Rani expresses her confidence that they'll make a great King and Queen.

## Family

* **Sãhasí** † (Father)
* **Ãnanda** † (mother)
* **Baliyo** (younger brother)
* **Janna** † (grandmother)
* **Surak** (uncle)
* **Kion** (mate)
* **Bunga** (adopted uncle)
* **Simba** (father-in-law)
* **Nala** (mother-in-law)
* **Kiara** (sister-in-law)
* **Kovu** (brother-in-law)
* **Mufasa** † (grandfathers-in-law)
* **Nala's Father** † (grandfathers-in-law)
* **Sarabi** (grandmothers-in-law)
* **Sarafina** (grandmothers-in-law)
* **Scar** † (great-uncle-in-law)

## Friends

* **Nirmala**
* **Kion** (Love Interest)
* **Bunga**
* **Fuli**
* **Beshte**
* **Ono**
* **Anga**
* **Makini**
* **Binga**
* **Varya**
* **Kitendo**
* **Fikiri**
* **Kiara**
* **Kovu**
* **Simba**
* **Nala**
* **Rafiki**
* **Timon**
* **Pumbaa**
* **Ma Tembo**
* **Mtoto**
* **Janja**
* **Cheezi**
* **Chungu**
* **Jasiri**
* **Azaad**
* **Ullu**
* **Tiifu**
* **Zuri**
* **Thurston**
* **Shujaa**
* **King Sokwe**
* **Majinuni**
* **Hafifu**

## Enemies

* **Makucha**
* **Fahari**
* **Jiona**
* **Chuluun**
* **Ora**
* **Mama Binturong**
* **Smun**

## Songs

* ***Welcome to the Tree of Life***
* ***Of the Same Pride***

## Trivia

* "Rani" means "queen" in Hindi.
	+ Ironically, Rani became the queen of the Tree of Life after Queen Janna died of old age.
* Both of Rani's voice actresses' birthdays are a fortnight apart; her speaking voice actress had been born two weeks shy of her singing double's 20th birthday.
* It is possible that she was named after the Indian actress "Rani Mukerji"