Bunga

**Bunga** is the adoptive nephew of Timon and Pumbaa, Kion's best friend, a former member of the Lion Guard and a current member of the Night Pride. His specialty is his bravery.

He is the deuteragonist of *The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar* and in Seasons 1 and 2 *The Lion Guard*. He is also the tritagonist in Season 3.

Bunga also starred in his own spin-off series It's UnBungalievable!, with no one else in the Guard appearing, except Ono.

## Personality

Bunga is a fearless young honey badger with a strong sense of adventure. He often doesn't consider his own personal safety, like in The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, when he jumps into the Outlands and gets caught by Cheezi and Chungu. Initially, he seemed to have no respect for Simba, calling him a "big ol' scaredy cat", for giving rules to Kion. But, even so, he still always came to Simba's aid. However, in Bunga and the King, he and Simba declared each other brothers. Bunga is an almost stupid honey badger, noted by Kiara in Return of the Roar. Bunga can be arrogant at times, as seen in Never Judge a Hyena by Its Spots, when he leads the Guard, in Kion's absence, and is too proud to admit that he had gotten them lost on the way Flat Ridge Rock.

He is a strong believer in "zuka zama"- "pop up and dive in". He uses this phrase quite frequently and is eager to share what it means to others. However, though this philosophy differs greatly from that of his fathers', he has also used the phrase "hakuna matata" multiple times and even sang the song Hakuna Matata when he was feeling downhearted. He has a tendency to jump to conclusions before engaging in further thought, and believes in quick and easy solutions. Bunga also appears to be rather full of himself and has been shown complimenting his flavor and his voice. He likes companionship, and loneliness does not suit him. He does his best to please his fathers, Timon and Pumbaa. Despite his shortcomings, Bunga is loyal to Kion and the Lion Guard and is always ready to help those in need. He is proud to be a member, and cares for all of his friends, though he is occasionally insensitive about their feelings. In addition to his confidence in his own skills, he is also very positive about what the Lion Guard can take on.

Bunga appears to have a knowledge of different fighting techniques, as he listed each move used by Pua and Makuu during the Mashindano. In this same thing, he appeared to greatly enjoy watching the fight, despite the solemn expressions of the Guard and the royal family. He also has neglect for hygiene; in this way, he is very different from his egret friend Ono.

Bunga also has a soft spot for baby animals.

Also at times, Bunga can be clever at times seen in *Return of the Roar*, where Bunga used his stink to keep the gazelle away from Kiara. In *Bunga the Wise*, where he led the guard in damming up the lake and in *The Bite of Kenge*, where he used the moniter lizard's anger against him.

Bunga is a ball of energy who always wants to have fun and explore. He and Kion appear to be polar opposites. Bunga is reckless and lacks all maturity, as seen in Fuli's New Family, when he attempts to play in a volcano, in The Outlands. Bunga is a trustworthy, but distracted member of the Lion Guard and is Kion's best friend.

Bunga was shown to have a great interest in Binga, as not only is she the first honey badger he’s known other than himself, but she is just as good - if not better - at everything he does.

## Trivia

* His catchphrase, *Zuka zama*, means "Pop up, dive in" in Swahili.
	+ Bunga's secondary catchphrase is *It's UnBungalieveable*.
* Bunga is commonly referred to as *Little B* by Beshte.
* Bunga often refers to Beshte as *Big B*.
* Bunga is the second known animal to be adopted by Timon and Pumbaa, the first being Simba.
* In Bunga and the King it is revealed that this makes Bunga and Simba adoptive brothers.
* Along with the above, it makes Bunga the adoptive uncle to Kiara and Kion.
* This makes him the first known member of the Guard to be related to the leader as well as the royal family.
* He has a crush on the zebra Dhahabu.
* Bunga wants to learn some of Rafiki's moves.
* In the original version of *The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar* Bunga was meant to be much younger, than the final version and frequently used his own name to describe his own actions. For unknown reasons, this was cut and replaced with the Bunga seen in the final version of *Return of the Roar*.
* At the end of Battle for the Pride Lands, Bunga attacks and knocks Ushari into the lava, where he falls to his death. This makes Bunga the first character in *The Lion Guard* to explicitly kill another character. (Janja does not count since in *Return of the Roar* it is implied that he and his clan ate a few gazelles, but they were only background characters in that episode and Scar does not count since he murdered Mufasa prior to *Return of the Roar.)*
* This also makes Bunga the first character in a *Disney Junior* show to explicitly kill another character.