Sarabi

**Sarabi** is a adult Lion who is the former queen of the Pride Lands. She is the mate of Mufasa, the sister of Naanda, Diku, and Dwala, the mother of Simba and the Mother in law of Nala.

## Appearance

One of the largest queens to rule Pride Rock, Sarabi is tall and heavily built, noticeably larger than her fellow Pride Landers and able to stand nose height to Scar. She sports strong shoulders and a rectangular body, built for the hunt, and manages to put up a good fight against the hyenas even after being struck to the ground by Scar. Her face is long and round, but broader than those of the other lionesses, though her other facial features are delicate and soft.

In addition to being unusually grand in size, Sarabi sports a distinctive dark pelt broken only by patches of lighter fur on her muzzle, paws, and underbelly. Her nose is also dark, and her ears are rimmed with brown. Like Mufasa, she sports large orange eyes.

Sarabi passed many traits down to her son, including her colored paws, ear rims, and orange eyes. During early production of the film, Simba was drawn in many concept sketches with darker fur, making him look more like his mother. However, this was later changed so that Simba would more closely resemble Mufasa. Sarabi bears a striking resemblance to her granddaughter, Kiara.

## Personality

During periods of peace and prosperity, Sarabi is a supportive mother and queen. Throughout Mufasa's reign, she displays herself as being a fierce encouragement to her family, viewing her son's presentation with pride and later motivating him to learn kingly duties from his father. Unlike Mufasa, who is gentle but firm in his guidance, Sarabi is softer, shown to be especially affectionate when dealing with her son, whom she is especially patient with. However, just like Mufasa, she guides Simba along his path to becoming king.

Not only is Sarabi gentle and soft-spoken, but she is also a doting mother who is not afraid to tease. Through her son's many kiddish complaints, she keeps a smile on her face, proving herself willing to embarrass him if she believes that she is serving his best interests. Despite her joking nature, Sarabi is wise enough to keep her family safe, willing to put barriers on Simba in order to keep him from harming himself and his friends. Her easygoing approach to parenting is not of an overly lenient nature but strict enough to keep Simba on the right track, rendering her just as protective of her son as Mufasa.

When bliss falls away from her beloved family and homeland, Sarabi proves her character by remaining strong through her grief, taking her place as the matriarch of her pride despite the devastating loss of her mate and son. As Scar's reign begins to crumble the land around her, Sarabi loses the joy she once had, replacing her easy smile with a distinctive frown that follows her from the hunt to the home. She becomes considerably cold, showing little reaction to the destruction around her, but always keeping a firm and strong face, perhaps for the benefit of her heartbroken pride.

When faced with Scar, an overbearing and unfair leader, Sarabi keeps her head held high, unaffected by the intimidating presence of her abounding enemies. Even when blamed for problems that are not her fault, Sarabi keeps her temper, remaining fair by refusing to take the blame for Scar's doings. She even goes so far as to suggest something radical for the good of her pride, risking harm in defying her misguided ruler in doing so. Though her temper typically remains cool and under control, she does let angry words fly when Scar refuses to take action in order to save his pride. In her rage, Sarabi reveals herself to be defiant and sharp-tongued, able to expertly hit Scar's weakness by comparing him to Mufasa.

Just as willing to evoke justice as she is to save her pride, Sarabi proves herself to be a fierce fighter, being the second lioness to leap into battle after Scar's admittance to killing Mufasa. Understandably vengeful, Sarabi's bravery and prowess expose themselves fully during the final battle, tearing away the impassive mask which she has been hiding behind throughout Scar's abuse. A seeker of justice, Sarabi fights for the rightful ruler of the Pride Lands and proudly accepts him as her new king.

## Family

* **Sisters:** Naanda, Diku, and Dwala
* **Mate:** Mufasa †
* **Brother-in-Law:** Scar †
* **Son:** Simba
* **Daughter-in-law:** Nala
* **Granddaughter:** Kiara
* **Grandsons:** Kion and Kopa
* **Grandson-in-Law:** Kovu