Banzai

―Banzai[src] | ”

**Banzai** is a male hyena. He was a high-ranking member of Shenzi's clan, along with his companions Ed, Azizi, and Kamari.

Initially, Banzai and his clan lived in exile from the Pride Lands. They formed a friendship with a member of the royal family named Scar, who recruited them to assist in the murder of Mufasa, the kingdom's reigning monarch, and his heir, Simba. On Scar's orders, Banzai and his clan instigated a stampede that led to Mufasa's death. The hyenas then made an attempt on Simba's life but failed. However, they reported to Scar and his pride that Simba had died, which allowed Scar to take the throne.

With Scar as the king of the Pride Lands, the hyenas were allowed entry. During Scar's reign, a famine struck the kingdom, stripping the Pride Lands of its former glory and starving both the hyenas and the lionesses. Eventually, a full-grown Simba returned to the Pride Lands to take his place as the rightful king. Banzai and his clan opposed Simba, supporting Scar's claim to the throne, but Scar betrayed the hyenas to Simba. This led them to turn on and kill him.

Many seasons after Scar's defeat, Banzai and his clan were attacked by the Army of Scar in the Elephant Graveyard. During his final moments, Banzai attempted to destroy Scar's spirit, but ultimately failed. In the chaos that followed, Scar made the upper hand, defeating the hyena. Conversely, Banzai survived and invaded Timon's colony and kidnapped the Duke Meerkat's daughter, Tatiana. He held Tatiana captive in his den, but Timon and his friend Pumbaa rescued the princess, and Banzai was seemingly buried underneath a rockslide.

## Biography

### Early life

Banzai and his clan lived in the Elephant Graveyard due to their exile from the Pride Lands. At some point in his life, Banzai became close friends with his fellow hyenas, Azizi, Kamari, Shenzi, and Ed, as well as a lion named Scar.

### Attack on Timon's colony

―Banzai on Timon[src] | ”

While Timon was on sentry duty, engrossed in singing, he failed to notice Banzai and his companions sneaking up behind him. They surrounded him and clapped sarcastically at the song's end. They then pushed Timon to the ground and dashed in among his colony, attacking the scattered meerkats. Though they failed to devour any of the colony, Banzai nearly caught Uncle Max, who escaped down a hole just in time. After the meerkats were safely hidden in their nests, the hyenas walked away, guffawing.

### Attack on Simba and Nala

—Banzai and Shenzi, as Simba and Nala escape[src] | ”

When Simba and his friend Nala disobediently trespassed into the Elephant Graveyard, they were confronted by the hyena quintet. In echoing Simba's laughter, the hyenas scared the cubs into hiding behind their babysitter, Zazu, who tried to explain to Shenzi that their traipse into the graveyard had been a mere accident. Shenzi promptly identified the hornbill as Mufasa's majordomo, and the hyenas joked about eating the cubs.

Although the cubs and their babysitter attempted to escape, the hyenas managed to catch Zazu and stick him in the birdie boiler. Before they could harm the cubs, Mufasa interfered and attacked them. Banzai was the first of the trio to confront Mufasa, attacking him from behind, but Mufasa swiped him away, leaving him with wounds on his rear. With the battle finished, Mufasa tackled all three to the ground and warned them to never come near his son again. He roared again, and the hyenas scurried away.

### Plot to kill Mufasa

―Banzai to Simba[src] | ”

That night, Banzai gathered with his friends in the Elephant Graveyard and complained about the wounds on his rear. Ed's constant taunts spun him into a fury, and he scuffled with his friend until he was ordered away by Shenzi. The hyenas proceeded to complain about lions and the subordinate stature of their own species. No sooner had they slammed lions with insults such as "pushy," "hairy," and "stinky," when Scar appeared, bearing gifts of food for his friends, despite their prior failure to kill the cubs. When Banzai challenged his leader, asking if they had been expected to kill Mufasa as well, Scar braced his minions for the death of the king.

The next day, Banzai and his friends gathered at the top of the gorge, waiting for Scar's signal to startle the herd. While they waited, Banzai attempted to pick off a sick wildebeest in order to settle his hunger, but Shenzi forbid such an action, as it would disrupt the plan. Scar soon appeared at the top of the ridge, and the hyenas chased the wildebeests into the valley.

After joining up with Scar again, the hyenas were sent after Simba, who had run away from his father's dead body. The three almost managed to catch the cub until he escaped into a thorn thicket. Banzai himself was accidentally pushed into the thicket, and when he emerged, he refused to keep chasing the cub. Leaving Simba for dead, the hyenas yelled taunts after him and then returned to Scar, who was deceived about Simba's survival.

### Scar's reign

―Banzai[src] | ”

With Mufasa and Simba reportedly dead, Scar took the title of king. Many years passed, during which the hyenas moved into the kingdom alongside the lionesses. When prey became scarce, Banzai and his friends approached Scar, demanding he provide them with more food. Annoyed by their pestering, Scar ordered them away, yelling in particular at Banzai when he mentioned Mufasa's name. Though the hyenas tried one last time to appeal to their king, Scar roared furiously at them, which prompted the hyenas to flee the den, whooping fearfully.

### Battle of Pride Rock

—Banzai and Shenzi, as Timon and Pumbaa attempt to stall them[src] | ”

A while later, a full-grown Simba returned to the Pride Lands and confronted Scar, who pointedly glared up at the hyenas for their failure to kill Simba. During the final battle, the hyenas flanked their leader, and the trio targeted Timon and Zazu in a bone cage. Pumbaa soon came to the rescue, and Banzai and his friends were chased away by the warthog's brawn.

However, the hyenas eventually cornered Timon and Pumbaa in an inner cave of Pride Rock after being angered by an offensive joke the duo made about the hyenas. In an attempt to distract the clan while Ma and Uncle Max dug a tunnel beneath the hyenas, Timon and Pumbaa tried different tactics to keep the hyenas' attention. When the trap tunnel failed, Timon jumped down between Shenzi's legs and finished the contraption himself, causing Banzai and his clan to fall through the ground and plummet to the bottom of Pride Rock.

As the battle drew to a close, Banzai and his friends gathered on the summit of Pride Rock, where they witnessed Scar blaming the hyenas for the coup against Mufasa. They ultimately backed away from the scene in anger. When their king was thrown from Pride Rock by Simba and landed in the midst of the hyena clan, Banzai and his friends gathered around Scar, who welcomed them as friends. The hyenas in turn taunted Scar for blaming the problems of the Pride Lands on them and then proceeded to attack him, eating him alive amidst the burning flames of Pride Rock.

### Legacy

#### Battle for the Pride Lands

Having teamed up with the Outsiders led by Zira, the spirit of Scar invaded the Elephant Graveyard and attacked Shenzi's clan of hyenas. Zira's children, Nuka, Vitani, and Kovu, attempted to eat the hyenas alive, but Shenzi, Kamari, Azizi, and Ed fled their territory. In a last act of self-sacrifice, Banzai attempted to tackle Scar, but he intercepted the attack, defeating the hyena.

#### Presumed Fate

―Nuka on the Elephant Graveyard[src] | ”

While gathering fire at the Elephant Graveyard with his sister, Vitani, Nuka mentioned that the hyenas had run off.

#### Kidnapping Tatiana

When Timon left his sentry post to prepare for his mating with Tatiana, Banzai saw that his colony was unprotected. While Timon was preparing, the hyena invaded the colony and kidnapped Tatiana, which led everyone to believe the princess was dead. When the Duke Meerkat returned, he banished Timon for leaving his sentry post.

After Timon reunited with Pumbaa, the two heard Tatiana's scream coming from a den, where they saw that Banzai was holding her captive. Timon told Pumbaa that if he helped him rescue the princess, he would be accepted into the colony. Banzai then tried to eat Timon and Tatiana but failed and was seemingly crushed underneath a rockslide caused by the force of his hit. It was unknown if Banzai survived.

## Physical appearance

Banzai was a moderately sized hyena, with a hunched back, a long neck, and thin legs. His fur was gray, while his ears, mane, and paws were black. He had several distinctions, including a speckled gray muzzle, spots on his hide, thick eyebrows, and some sparse hairs on his head.

## Personality and traits

Of the hyena trio, Banzai was the most aggressive and volatile. He was prone to losing his temper, especially when mocked by his companions, and often resorted to violence if provoked too much. Despite this, he submitted to the authority of his leader Shenzi and did her bidding whenever she demanded his obedience.

Like most hyenas, Banzai was bumbling, humorous, and driven by hunger. He showed exceptional gluttony and greed when he encountered Simba and Nala, being willing to kill young cubs to sate his appetite. Additionally, he had complete disregard for the Circle of Life, as he chafed at Mufasa's authority and willingly stripped the Pride Lands of all life. He was simple-minded and unintelligent, which often led to misunderstandings between him and Scar, who expressed frustration at his stupidity.

Ultimately, though Banzai was loyal and subservient, he did not take well to betrayal, as seen when he murdered his former friend Scar as an act of revenge.

## Relationships

Allies* Shenzi's clan - Former Teammates
	+ Shenzi † - Former Leader
	+ Ed † - Best Friend
	+ Kamari † - Close Friend
	+ Azizi † - Close Friend
	+ Buzz † - Victim
	+ Uncle Max - Attempted Victim
	+ Ma - Attempted Victim
	+ Tatiana - Attempted Victim
	+ Duke Meerkat
	+ Fred
* Simba's pride
	+ Simba - Attempted Victim
	+ Nala - Attempted Victim
	+ Mufasa †
	+ Sarabi
* Timon - Attempted Victim
* Pumbaa - Attempted Victim
* Zazu
* Rafiki †
* Army of Scar
	+ Scar † - Former King and Victim
* Outsiders
	+ Zira † - Attempted Killer
	+ Nuka †
	+ Vitani
	+ Kovu

## Appearances

* *The Lion King: Revisited*
	+ "New Acquaintances for Timon"
	+ "Be Prepared"
	+ "Stampede"
	+ "The Famine"
	+ "Battle for Pride Rock"
* *Six New Adventures*
	+ "A Tale of Two Brothers"
* *The Lion King: Revisited*
	+ "Battle for the Pride Lands"
	+ "Epilogue: An Important Coronation"
	+ "Lion Guard: Wild Schemes and Catastrophes"

## Trivia

* Banzai was voiced by the following:
	+ In *The Lion King: Revisited*, he was voiced by Cheech Marin.
	+ In *Six New Adventures*, he was voiced by Rob Paulsen.
		- Paulsen also voiced Cheetata.