Simba

**Simba**: *I finally got some sense knocked into me, and I've got the bump to prove it. Besides, this is my kingdom. If I don't fight for it, who will?*

—Simba and Nala, shortly before the battle of Pride Rock[src] | ”

**Simba** was a male lion. He served as the king of Pride Rock who succeeded Scar and preceded Kiara. He was the son of Mufasa and Sarabi and the mate of Nala, with whom he had two sons, Kopa and Kion, and a daughter, Kiara.

Born as the future king of Pride Rock, Simba was anointed and presented to the animals of the Pride Lands. His birth enraged his uncle, Scar, who envied and resented him for replacing him as the next in line to the throne. Growing up, Simba was taught by his father, Mufasa, to respect the Circle of Life and maintain balance between predator and prey. While Simba was still a cub, Scar used a wildebeest stampede to put him in harm's way and thus lure Mufasa into danger. Scar managed to assassinate Mufasa, after which he sent his hyena minions to dispose of Simba. However, when the hyenas failed to kill Simba, the cub escaped into the desert and took refuge with a meerkat named Timon and a warthog named Pumbaa, who taught him to embrace a "Hakuna Matata" lifestyle.

Many seasons later, Simba and Nala reunited as adults, and she urged Simba to return to the Pride Lands and challenge Scar's right to rule. When Simba refused, Rafiki confronted him and facilitated his communion with the spirit of Mufasa, who implored his son to return to his homeland and reclaim his birthright. Simba acquiesced to his father's wishes and challenged Scar for the throne of Pride Rock. The two fought one another for the right to rule the Pride Lands alongside their respective allies, and Simba eventually emerged victorious. Meanwhile, Scar was betrayed and killed by his hyena minions. Afterward, Simba ascended Pride Rock and became the new king of the Pride Lands.

As king, Simba exiled any lionesses who retained loyalty to Scar to the Outlands. There, the exiles, led by a lioness named Zira, plotted to avenge Scar's death, assassinate Simba, and put Scar's protégé and heir, Kovu, on the throne of Pride Rock. Having gotten more worried about the safety of his pride, Simba became an increasingly overprotective father. Meanwhile, Janja and Ushari teamed up with the Outsiders and resurrected the spirit of Scar, who formed an army of incensed Outlanders to take on Simba and Kion's Lion Guard and destroy the Pride Lands. For several seasons, the Pride Landers repeatedly repelled attacks from Scar's army. Eventually, Simba decided to take the fight into the Outlands, and the Pride Landers triumphed against Scar's army in a final invasion of the Outlands.

In the seasons that followed Scar's defeat, Zira instructed Kovu, her son, to save Kiara and take advantage of the seemingly noble act to infiltrate Simba's pride. Kovu enacted the plan, but after falling in love with Kiara, he betrayed and abandoned the Outsiders. Meanwhile, Zira orchestrated an ambush on Simba, which he only narrowly escaped. Believing Kovu to have been a co-conspirator in the ambush, Simba exiled him from the Pride Lands. Shortly after Kovu's exile, a battle broke out between the Outsiders and Simba's pride, but Kovu and Kiara intervened and convinced the feuding prides to reunite. In the aftermath of the battle, Simba accepted Kovu back into his pride and approved of his marriage to Kiara. Not long after, Simba attended Kion's coronation at the Tree of Life, which birthed an alliance between the two kingdoms.

Unbeknownst to Simba, however, Vitani and her Lion Guard fended off an attack by Makucha's army. As a result, the crippled group enacted a successful invasion of the Tree of Life. Horrified, Simba resolved to help win back the safe haven, as Kion had become a recluse in the wake of the attack. Alongside his allies, Simba journeyed through the Chamber of the Lion Guard, then rallied an army of Pride Landers, Outlanders, and residents of the Tree of Life to reclaim the invaded territory. After bringing Kion back into the fold, Simba led the army in a successful reclaiming of the Tree of Life. However, when Vitani and Kion jointly used the Roar of the Elders to permanently oust Makucha's forces, it caused a sinkhole. Though Simba managed to save his son's life, he got caught in the middle of the disaster, which ultimately ended his life. In the aftermath of his death, the Tree of Life was revived, and Simba joined his father as one of the Great Lions of the Past.

## Biography

### Adulthood

#### Kiara's first hunt

―Simba allows Kovu to join his pride[src] | ”

Seasons later, Simba gathered with his pride at Pride Rock to watch Kiara embark on her first solo hunt. Despite the festive mood, Simba was downcast and worried about his daughter's safety. Meanwhile, Kiara strode in-between the assembled lionesses until she reached her parents. After nuzzling Nala, she told Simba to promise that she could hunt on her own. Though reluctant, Nala encouraged him to let their daughter complete the mission on her own, and he relented. Overjoyed, Kiara embraced him, then leaped for the edge of Pride Rock. However, she looked back at her father, who nodded in turn. Once Kiara had left, Simba subtly ordered Timon and Pumbaa to follow her and ensure that she did not get hurt.

During Kiara's hunt, Simba paced nervously on Pride Rock while Zazu assured him that she would be fine and asked what could happen. No sooner had Zazu said this when Simba noticed smoke on the horizon. Terrified, he yelled Kiara's name. As he and the pride raced toward the distant fire, Simba ordered Zazu to fly ahead and find Kiara.

While scouring the Pride Lands, Zazu spotted Kovu saving Kiara from a wildfire and reported his findings to Simba. Eventually, Simba caught up with the two and roared threateningly at Kovu. Kiara asked how her father could have broken his promise to her, but he retorted that he had made a good decision, then forbade her from hunting ever again. Kiara protested that she had been doing fine even before Kovu had intervened. At the mention of Kovu's name, Simba roared at him again, and Nala admonished her mate for his ferocity.

Just then, Rafiki appeared on a nearby ridge and revealed that Kovu had saved Kiara's life. Surprised, Simba asked Kovu why he had saved her, and Kovu, in turn, requested permission to join Simba's pride. Simba, however, refused and reminded Kovu that he had been banished alongside the other Outsiders. Kovu clarified that he had left the Outsiders and asked Simba if he would blame him for a crime that he had not committed. At this, Simba growled and began to pace back and forth, during which Sarabi reminded him that Kovu had saved his daughter's life. Zazu added that they were in Kovu's debt and that royal protocol demanded that all debts be paid, adding that Simba might want to make an exception in this case, however. Out of respect for his father's law, Simba allowed Kovu to join his pride, though he reserved judgment on the rogue's character.

The pride returned to Pride Rock, where they retreated into the den for the night. As they did so, Simba paced back and forth until he noticed Kovu following the pride inside. Horrified, Simba jumped in his path, snarled at him, and intimidated him away from the entrance. As a result, Kovu opted to sleep by a rock on the promontory of Pride Rock. Kiara stayed behind to speak with Kovu, but Simba called her back inside. That night, as Simba slept, he had a nightmare about the stampede. Though he tried to save his father, Scar grabbed him and prevented him from helping Mufasa up the cliff. As a result, Mufasa slipped and fell to his death. Simba turned accusingly on Scar, but the villain slowly morphed into Kovu, then threw Simba into the gorge after Mufasa. Simba woke in a panic, but, upon recognizing where he was, he went back to sleep.

#### Kion's coronation

―Simba, during Kion's coronation[src] | ”

Simba and his family attended Kion's wedding to Rani at the Tree of Life. During the ceremony, Simba stepped forward and declared to the attendees that two heroes, Kion and Rani, were among them. He then praised the two for their bravery, strength, and selflessness.

## Appearances

* *The Lion King: The Full Story*
	+ "The Circle of Life"
	+ "Be Prepared"
	+ "Stampede"
	+ "Hakuna Matata"
	+ "The Roar of Terror"
	+ "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"
	+ "Battle for Pride Rock"
	+ "He Lives in You"
	+ "We Are One"
	+ "Return of the Roar"
	+ "Never Judge a Hyena by its Spots"
	+ "Day of the Crocodiles"
	+ "Bunga and the King"
	+ "The Mbali Fields Migration"
	+ "Our Kupatana Community"
* *Tales of the Lion Guards*
	+ "Bunga the Wise"
	+ "Family Pride"
	+ "The Search for Utamu"
	+ "Here Comes the Lion Guard"
* *The Lion King: The Full Story*
	+ "Eye of the Beholder" (cave painting)
	+ "Can I Wait to be Queen?"
	+ "The Imaginary Okapi"
	+ "Never Roar Again" (cave painting)
	+ "Ono's Idol"
	+ "The Trail to Udugu"
	+ "The Savannah Summit"
	+ "The Rise of Scar"
	+ "Let Sleeping Crocs Lie"
	+ "The Ukumbusho Tradition"
	+ "Rescue in the Outlands" (mentioned)
	+ "The Morning Report"
	+ "Divide and Conquer" (mentioned)
	+ "The Little Guy" (mentioned)
	+ "The Golden Zebra"
	+ "The Scorpion's Sting"
	+ "The Kilio Valley Fire"
	+ "Undercover Kinyonga"
	+ "Chamber of Secrets" (cave painting)
	+ "Pride Landers Unite!"
	+ "Tujiinue"
	+ "Battle for the Pride Lands"
	+ "Journey of Memories" (mentioned)
	+ "Friends to the End" (flashback)
	+ "The Big Break"
	+ "Long Live the Queen"
	+ "The Outsider"
	+ "Triumph of the Roar"
	+ "Love Will Find a Way"
* *Tales of the Lion Guards*
	+ "Reunion"
	+ "Call from the Prides"
	+ "Who Truly Are We?" (mentioned)
	+ "Worthwhile"
* *The Lion King: The Full Story*
	+ "Return to the Pride Lands"
	+ *The Lion King: The Full Story/The Finale*