6 Kiara

## Kiara

**Kiara** is the protagonist of Disney's 1998 film *The Lion King II: Simba's Pride* and a supporting character in its 2016-2019 TV series *The Lion Guard*. She is Simba and Nala's daughter, Kion's older sister, and the mate of Kovu.

## Background

### Personality

Kiara is curious and wild-hearted as a cub, constantly seeking new adventures and easily fraught at the sight of her safe nest back home in the Pride Lands. Her hunger for adventure often leads her to outright rebellion, as she ignores her father’s better judgment in order to explore the Outlands and get answers to her unresolved questions. Kiara inherits her parents’ curiosity, and her curiosity in her surroundings gets her into real trouble.

Kiara is also very strong-willed, and she possesses a strong desire for independence and self-sufficiency. As a result, she can escape and sneak out at times to reach her goal. She also displays frequent annoyance when addressed by her title, preferring to be known for herself rather than who her family is.

Later in her cubhood, Kiara becomes more accepting of her destiny as the future queen and takes her royal duties seriously. Unfortunately, sometimes her duties lead her to rub it on her younger brother Kion’s face, which leads to sibling rivalry, though they still care for each other.

Kiara is still a cub at heart and can laugh at everything and make even Kovu’s rough training into a game. However, her outlook is a positive one, and she is one of Kovu’s most loyal encouragers, seeing past his rough exterior to the kind character within. She also shows a strong amount of charisma as she convinces both prides that they are better united than against each other. She also cares for her enemies, as shown when she tries to rescue Zira from falling down the cliff despite trying to attack Simba a few minutes earlier.

Like her father, Kiara sometimes doesn’t get the advice and criticism she is given by her friends and family right away. Not to mention she has to find out the hard way. But, in addition, Kiara does get what her friends and family meant when she hears or sees it for herself, shown when Kovu shows her their reflection in the water and saying that they are one, which helps her see the truth in her father’s words when she was a cub. Kiara then uses the same advice she was given to help her family, shown with her father and the outsiders.

### Physical appearance

Kiara is small, soft-featured, and less robust and stocky than her father but just as lithe and sleek as her mother. Kiara's color scheme is more of a peach tone like that of her father's, but it is tempered by the creamy hues of her mother. As a result, she doesn't carry as rich gold as her father's or grandfather's. Her muzzle, paws, and underbelly are cream-colored, and her tail tuft is creamy brown. Not only that, but her eyes are reddish-brown.

Kiara remains the same light shade from her cubhood and not darkening with age as her parents do, but this could be attributed to her not being a full-grown adult yet.

## Appearances

### *The Lion King*

An infant Kiara makes a cameo at the end of *The Lion King*. Many years later after Simba defeats Scar and becomes King, the Pride Lands are restored and the Pride Landers return to the Pride Lands for the presentation of Simba and Nala's newborn cub; Kiara who is presented to the Pride Lands by Rafiki in the same fashion as Simba's presentation.

### *The Lion King II: Simba's Pride*

An infant Kiara appears at the beginning of *The Lion King II: Simba's Pride*, during her presentation to the animals. Timon and Pumbaa comment on how great it will be to relive old times with the cub, whom they believe to be a boy, only to be understandably shocked when Rafiki reveals that Simba and Nala's new cub is a girl.

Kiara grows into a playful cub and her next appearance takes place as she is going out to play. Before she can leave, Simba, who becomes seriously over-protective begins going through an extensive list of warnings about the safety of the Pride Lands. Annoyed, Kiara is able to repeat them from memory, suggesting that she has heard them many times before and grows irritated. Simba's final warning is to stay away from the Outlands which is home to the Outsiders, because he says, "You can't turn your back on them." Kiara doesn't understand why, but Simba simply tells her that she will understand one day and sends her off. As she leaves, she is followed by Timon and Pumbaa, whom the king has sent to her.

When the two get into a disagreement, Kiara is able to slip away. She enters the Outlands where she meets Kovu, a cub who is one of the Outsiders as well as Scar's chosen heir. Remembering Simba's words about Outsiders, she takes them literally and continually positions herself so that her back is not to Kovu. The two cubs are forced to work together to escape some crocodiles and become friends as a result. She plays with him, but the two are forcibly separated by Simba, Nala, Timon, Pumbaa, and some of the lionesses and Kovu's mother Zira, Scar's follower who was banished from the Pride Lands.

After that, Simba takes his daughter home where he gently scolds her for putting herself in danger, noting that as future queen, she needs to be careful. When Kiara expresses her reluctance at becoming queen, Simba explains how they are connected by singing We Are One. Once again, the concept goes over Kiara's head and Simba simply tells her she will understand someday.

Sometime after while at his tree, Rafiki notes to Mufasa's spirit that Kiara is growing into a great future queen, but he worries about Kovu, who Zira is training to be vicious. Mufasa is able to communicate a plan to Rafiki using a broken gourd as an example. If Kiara and Kovu are brought together, then the feud between the two prides can end. At first, Rafiki doubts the plan but agrees to trust Mufasa after some convincing.

Next, Kiara has grown into an adolescent and is preparing for her first hunt. She expresses her desire to hunt alone and with prodding from Nala, Simba agrees. However, he breaks his promise almost immediately and sends Timon and Pumbaa to watch her. Kiara discovers them and is angered by her father's over-protectiveness. She runs away to hunt on her own, away from the Pride Lands and ends up in the midst of a wildfire set by Kovu's siblings, Vitani and Nuka. Kiara tries to escape, but is knocked out by smoke and is then saved by Kovu. When she regains consciousness, Kiara does not recognize him at first, only to realize his identity when he asks, "What're you doing?" in a reference to their first meeting as cubs.

Simba and Nala arrive at their daughter's aid as they had seen the smoke from the fire. Kovu asks to join the pride, but an angry Simba refuses. Rafiki appears and reveals that Kovu has saved Kiara's life. This knowledge is not enough to affect Simba's decision initially, but he allows Kovu to join on a trial basis after both Nala and Zazu remind him that by the Pride Lands' law states, they owe Kovu his debt for saving Kiara. Kovu is allowed to return to Pride Rock temporarily, pending a final judgment of character by Simba. Simba distrusts Kovu and forces him to sleep outside. At Pride Rock, Kiara thanks Kovu for saving her life, but he points out that Kiara's hunting skills are rather lackluster (which they are) and that she could not survive on her own for 3 days (in his claim). In response, Kiara convinces Kovu to teach her to hunt, to which he says that he looks forward to it.

The next day, Kiara accidentally and unknowingly interrupts Kovu’s attempt to ambush Simba. She and Kovu spend the day together as Kiara learns to hunt, and later, the two are seen stargazing. With some subtle prodding from Rafiki, the two begin to fall in love. Kovu later tells Kiara about his place in Zira’s plot and his reluctance to assume his role to take over the Pride Lands but is stopped by Simba, who wishes to speak with Kovu alone.

She later sees her father injured from an ambush set up by the Outsiders as she sends Zazu for help. Kiara disbelieves that Kovu was involved when Simba accuses him of being in on it. Despite this, Kiara helps her father get back to Pride Rock with Timon and Pumbaa, who are with her. Kiara wants to see Kovu when he comes back but is stopped by Simba, who confronts him for coming back to the Pride Lands. Knowing that the ambush wasn’t his fault, Kiara pleads with her father to listen to Kovu, but he silences her and exiles him. Kiara tries to protest against her father’s decision, only to be stopped by the lionesses. Once Kovu’s gone, Rafiki, who was watching the event, sighs sadly, feeling that Simba has completely defied his father’s goals and is too intoxicated with hate to notice Kovu for who he really is.

After that’s over, Kiara approaches Simba and asks him to reconsider, but he forbids her to leave Pride Rock without an escort, intending to keep her away from Kovu and they get into a heated argument. Despite Simba telling Kiara that Kovu used her to get to him, Kiara tells her father that Kovu loves her for who she is. Simba, however, believes that Kovu loves her for being his daughter. Infuriated, Kiara tells her father that he doesn’t know Kovu as she does. When Simba says that Kovu is following Scar’s paw prints and that he must follow his father’s, Kiara, fed up with her father’s stubbornness, insults him by declaring, “You will never be Mufasa!” This horrifies him, and Kiara runs to Pride Rock in tears as the lionesses watch her sadly.

Kiara manages to break out of Pride Rock and reunites with Kovu. Though Kovu considers running away to form their own pride, Kiara understands her father’s words from when she was a cub when she sees her and Kovu’s reflections merge in the water. She convinces Kovu to return so that they may try to reunite their divided prides. Kovu agrees, and the two return to find that the Pridelanders and Outsiders are at war.

Kiara and Kovu break up a fight between Simba and Zira who tell them to step aside. Kiara persuades her pride and the Outsiders that their prides are no different from each other and convinces the majority to end the feud because it's pointless and as lions, they are one. However, Zira refuses to budge and attempts to attack Simba. Kiara leaps to defend him and the two lionesses fall off a cliff. Kiara is able to land on a safe ledge and tries to save Zira who is clinging to the side of the cliff, but Zira slips off and drops to her death.

Simba then leads Kiara back up the ledge and allows Kovu and the Outsiders to return to Pride Rock. Not to mention Rafiki blesses Kiara and Kovu's wedding and they roar on top of Pride Rock with Simba and Nala.

### *Kingdom Hearts II*

During the Pridelands segment of the end credits of *Kingdom Hearts II*, the infant Kiara is seen being presented by Rafiki to the newly restored Pridelands while Simba and Nala look on.

### *The Lion Guard*

 File:KiaraKionTROM.png
Kiara appears in the Disney Junior TV film *The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar* and series *The Lion Guard*, which sees her having a younger brother named Kion (whom she appears to have a sibling rivalry with), who serves as the protagonist. The series serves as a midquel to *Simba's Pride*, taking place after Kiara's first encounter with Kovu and before her next encounter with him as an adolescent. She also seems slightly older than her cub self in *Simba's Pride* as she reaches Simba's shoulder, implying that several months have passed since her encounter with Kovu and Zira. Kiara is a bit more arrogant but yet kind compared to her gentle behavior in the sequel and Simba doesn't seem to be overly protective of her as he is in the sequel. It's also shown another difference where Kiara is alright with wanting to become the future Queen, while in *Simba's Pride* Kiara is not sure of her future. It's likely that she matured over the months and Simba became less overbearing with this.

Kiara first appears in the series' prequel, *The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar* at Pride Rock being taught about being Queen by Simba, only to be disrupted by Kion who is playing Baobab Ball with Bunga. The two siblings have a short squabble before being separated by Simba who sends Kion and Bunga away to play their game away elsewhere.

She is later seen with her friends Tiifu and Zuri with the latter getting her claws stuck in a log (due to constantly sharpening them), though she is later helped out. After hearing from Bunga that Kion is setting up the Lion Guard and has made Bunga the first member, Kiara questions Kion on if Simba knows about this to which Kion replies that it was Simba who told him to pick members. She, Kion, Tiifu, Zuri, Timon, and Pumbaa then join in with Bunga singing "Zuka Zama".

Later, Kiara tells Simba about Kion picking Bunga to join The Lion Guard and proves it when Zazu finds Kion and Bunga with Fuli, Beshte, and Ono (whom Kion had also picked to join the Lion Guard). Simba thanks Kiara, before sending her and Tiifu to track gazelles while he has a word with Kion.

When tracking the gazelles, Kiara notices Mzingo circling above and Janja and his clan in the heart of the herd. Suspicious, Kiara sends Tiifu to get Simba while she stays behind to keep watch on the herd. However, Janja and his clan cause a stampede in the herd, and Kiara becomes trapped in it.

Luckily, Kion and the Lion Guard come to her rescue by driving the hyenas away, before Bunga and Fuli ride through the herd to Kiara. Bunga then lands on a rock next to Kiara and uses his stench to cause the herd to move away. After this, Kiara is delivered safely to Simba and Nala who along with Tiifu and Rafiki were watching the battle, and admits that Kion really did know what he was doing when chose whom he did to be the Lion Guard. She watches in amazement as Kion uses the Roar of the Elders to defeat the hyenas.

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In the episode "Can't Wait to be Queen", Kiara is made Queen Regent of the Pride Lands as Simba, Nala, and Zazu have to attend an elephant's funeral. Tiifu and Zuri serve as Kiara's "advisors" during this time. Kiara also uses Ono as her majordomo without asking Kion's permission first which irritates him. Kion then clashes with Kiara over her decisions, which is overheard by Mzingo, who reports this to Janja. Mzingo goes to Pride Rock and tells Kiara that Janja wants a peace treaty and she should go to Broken Rock, which is neutral land between the Pride Lands and the Outlands.Kiara has arrived at the Outlands, hoping to finally make peace with Janja. However, she soon realizes that something is wrong and that she's made a mistake. As Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu approach her, Janja announces his plan. With Kiara in his grasp, Simba will have no choice but to hand the Pride Lands over to them. Ono scours the Outlands, locating Kiara. The hyenas meanwhile circle around Kiara, and a couple of them leap at her. Kiara's agility secures her victory, though this is short lived as Janja pins her down. Before he can do anything, Kion arrives, much to Kiara's surprise. This doesn't phase Janja, as his clan is up 6-2. Suddenly, the rest of the Lion Guard join Kion and Kiara, marking the numbers as equal. Janja makes a quick retreat, and his clan flees back into the depths of the Outlands.The two siblings reconcile and return to Pride Rock, just before their parents and Zazu return from the funeral.

 File:Janja Kidnaps Kiara.jpg
Rafiki introduces The Royal Family to Makini who goes with Kiara to help Ma Tembo find the new water source. Back in the Outlands, Ushar,i and Janja decide to use what they learned to summon Scar. They decide to get Makini's Bakora since she's too inexperienced to be a threat and attack one of Kion's loved ones and bring them there since Kion's Roars are at their most powerful when he's angry. They kidnap Kiara and take Makini's Bakora. While the rest of the Guard rescues her, Janja tricks Kion into getting him to use the Roar out of anger, causing the volcano to erupt.

In "Battle for the Pride Lands", a young teenage Kiara and her family are in danger at Pride Rock surrounded by fire during the final battle against Scar. Anga rescues Kiara first by flying her to safety, then with the help of Hadithi rescues Simba and Nala. Simba then thanks Anga and Hadithi for rescuing them. Meanwhile, Scar appears and tells the Pride Animals that Simba and his family may have escaped his scheme but the Lion Guard has perished. Kiara is horrified at first, but just then Kion and the Lion Guard appear alive and completely unharmed. Scar tells the Pridelanders to surrender against him to which Kion refuses as it is then known that Scar was trying to scare the Pridelanders. After the battle against Scar was successful, Kiara is very worried about Kion when she sees that he has a scar after being bitten by Scar's cobra ally Ushari and he is being affected by the venom. Rafiki reveals that there is no cure for Kion in the Pride Lands and the only way for him to be cured is to travel far away to the Tree of Life. As Kion and the rest of the Lion Guard (this time with Anga joining in due to Ono's injury during the battle and his new position as the Smartest) prepare to leave the Pride Lands, Kiara wishes them luck and Kion asks her to keep Tiifu and Zuri out of trouble while their gone. Nala hopes for Kion to make it back before Kiara's first hunt. Rafiki allows Makini to go with the Guard to the Tree of Life. Kion then bids farewell to his family and they depart. The events of *Simba's Pride* then begin at some point after the Lion Guard and Makini leave the Pride Lands to get to the Tree of Life.

In the series finale, "Return to the Pride Lands", which is a television sequel to *The Lion King II*, Kiara, now an older adolescent shows up in the Outlands when the fight between Kion and Vitani after the Guard returned from the Tree of Life after hearing about Zira's return. Kiara tells Kion to stop fighting but when he sees Kovu behind her, he is about to use the Roar until Kiara steps in and explains that Kovu and Vitani are on their side now and that Zira is dead. Once everyone returns to Pride Rock, Kiara, Kovu and Rafiki tell the Guard about the events that occurred that led to the redemption of the Outsiders and the death of Zira.

 File:Adult Kiara Teen Kion.jpg
Afterward, Kiara, Kovu, Simba and Nala spend the whole day with Kion. At night, they meet with the spirit of Mufasa who is happy to see them together before dissipating. As Kiara heads toward the den with the others, she notices Kion staring at the stars with some sadness and joins him. Kion explains that seeing her with Kovu reminded him of Rani, a friend he had met at the Tree of Life. Kiara immediately realizes Kion's feelings for Rani, and teasingly expresses delight over the fact that he has fallen in love. Kiara is also impressed upon learning that Rani is the Queen of the Tree of Life, though Kion does not tell her Rani proposed to him. Kiara deduces that Kion misses her and Kion confirms this. Sympathetic to Kion desiring to be with her and knowing full well what it feels like to be separated from the one you love, Kiara tells him that he could possibly return to the Tree of Life one day, before informing him that she is certain their parents would understand.

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The next day, Vitani's Lion Guard and Kion's Lion Guard have a contest to see which team is best. Kion however, gives up his Roar to Vitani. But then Askari reveals to Kion that although he has given up his status as leader of the Lion Guard, he has truly mastered the Roar by letting it go. The Royal family, as well as many animals of the Pride Lands, attended Kion and Rani's wedding (which doubled as Kion's coronation to become King of the Tree of Life ), along with Jasiri's clan. Kiara enthusiastically cheers for him, delighted that her brother is now free to follow his heart like she is and has now become a ruler himself.

## Trivia

* Kiara in Swahili means "princess", while in Italian (spelled chiara) it means "bright", and in Irish it means "dark".
	+ She was originally going to be named "Shani", which means "marvelous" in Swahili.
* Interestingly, all of Simba and Nala's children's names begin with "K" (Kopa, Kiara, Kion); though Kopa is their unofficial son, while Kiara and Kion are their official children. This trait is shared by their son-in-law too, Kovu.
* Kiara is the second child of an original film's protagonist to be the main character of the sequel (in this case, taking over for Simba and Nala after the first *The Lion King* film). The first was Nicky Ferris from *The Parent Trap II* (taking over from Sharon McKendrick). The trend has since followed in many Disney sequels.
* Additionally, Kiara is the first female protagonist of any part of the *Lion King* franchise, as she is that of the second film; the rest of the films' protagonists are male.
* Kiara is one of the few Disney sequel characters to make further appearances.
* Orriginally, Kiara was going to have an older brother known as Chaka, however he was eventually cut from the film.
* In *The Lion King 1½* DVD, if the viewer plays the *Who Wants to Be King of the Jungle* game, one of the questions about the ending of *The Lion King II: Simba's Pride* indicate that Kiara and Kovu possibly have a cub together in the future.
	+ This was later contradicted in the final episode of *The Lion Guard,* taking place at an unspecified time after after *Simba's Pride*. In that episode, Kiara and Kovu did not have a newborn cub at the aforementioned episode, nor are they even the rulers.
* Kiara is the first known female cub in her family set to inherit the throne of the Pride Lands, as her father was an only child (making him the only heir), and all of her predecessors to the throne so far had been male heirs.
* It is currently unknown what the age gap between Kiara and Kion is. Though in "Lions of the Outlands", Kion was unaware of Kiara's encounter with Kovu, hinting that he was either not born yet or still an infant. In "Return to the Pride Lands", Kiara is a young adult while Kion is still a teenager.
* In the Pride Lands Pedia bonus feature exclusive to digital releases of the 2019 remake of *The Lion King*, the cub that is shown during the end of the film is identified as "Kiara". This contradicts the novelization's revelation of Simba and Nala's newborn cub as a future king, like in most storybooks based on the plot of the original *Lion King* film. Therefore, the cub's gender for the 2019 remake is unclear.