Vitani

* Mark of Guard
* Young Adult (Lion Guard)
* Young Adult (Lion King)
* Cub (Lion King)
* Cub (Lion Guard)

### Goal

To help Zira and Kovu take over the Pride Lands (formerly)To defend the Pride Lands and Circle of Life as the leader of the Lion Guard

## Media Information

### Final Appearance

Return to the Pride Lands

**Vitani** is a secondary antagonist in *The Lion King II: Simba's Pride*. She is the daughter and middle child of Zira, the older sister of Kovu, and the younger sister of Nuka. She is the current leader of the Lion Guard.

## Background

Sometime in between the events of *The Lion King* and *The Lion King II: Simba's Pride*, Vitani, along with her mother, brothers, and the rest of the Outsiders, was banished from the Pride Lands, for supporting Scar.

### Personality

Vitani is something of a tomboy, likely from growing up in such an inhospitable environment. As a result, Vitani is portrayed as loyal to her mother's cause, though, and prickly, who has a tendency toward making sardonic taunts or sly remarks. Vitani is aware of her own intelligence and loyalty (that is, in comparison to the rest of her family). Vitani is shown to openly support Zira's plan to make Kovu the next king, aware that Nuka is bull-headed, bitter, and unstable. Vitani does seem to show genuine care for Kovu's safety, becoming irritated toward Nuka for leaving him on his own, and again when she excitedly says "Kovu, what a guy!" in Zira's number. As an adolescent, she sees the error of her ways, and becomes the next outsider, after Kovu, to rejoin Simba's pride.

After rejoining Simba's pride, Vitani becomes the leader of her own formed Lion Guard, and is devoted to the task without hesitation, although it would cause problems like when she mistook Kion, his guard and the outlanders for intruders. She showed herself to be a capable leader, commanding her guard well and showing strong camaraderie with them, and belied a fierce courage that impressed Kion so that he acknowledged Vitani's worthiness and bestowed the Mark of the Guard and the Roar of the Elders to her. Vitani displayed a humble side to Kion's gesture and the realization that she now wields the Roar though was humbled again but also very impressed when she saw how apart she and Kion are in controlling the Roar.

### Physical appearance

Vitani bears a strong resemblance to her mother, but she is differentiated by a tuft of hair on her head, freckles, blue eyes, dark eye rims, dark pink nose, and a less prominent jaw. As an adolescent, her ears are striped with black. However, this feature was not present as a cub and appeared intermittently after it was introduced. Vitani's front claws are, like the rest of the Outsiders, constantly unsheathed. Later she got the Mark of the Guard on her shoulder after Kion appointed her as the new leader of the Lion Guard.

## Role in the series

**Prior TO THE LION GUARD**

Vitani along with Kovu, Nuka, Zira, and their pride, appeared in the Disney Junior series *The Lion Guard* episode "Lions of the Outlands". She openly shows her distaste for Jasiri though that doesn't stop her from enjoying the young hyena's actions that help make Nuka look more like a fool than he already is. She is in awe and curious about the Roar, asking her mother to explain it before watching Kion use it on a cloud to make it rain. She is eager to fight when the Lion Guard shows up only to be taken down by Fuli. Vitani, along with the rest of the outsiders (sans Kovu), is blasted away by the Roar of the Elders to termite mounts.

Vitani later returns in the series finale "Return to the Pride Lands" (which takes place after *Simba's Pride*).

After Kion and his friends departed to the Tree of Life and her pride merged with Simba, Vitani formed her own lion guard to fill in for Kion's Lion Guard while they were gone. The Outlanders, not knowing that the two lion prides have merged, sends Jasiri and Janja to the Tree of Life to warn Kion. Once Kion and his friends return to the Pride Lands, they confront Vitani and her Guard, both mistaking each other as enemies, until Kiara and Kovu stop them before Kion could use the Roar. Vitani reveals that she didn't recognize Kion because he looks different from his scar and the Outlanders are with him.

The next day at the Lair of the Lion Guard, Vitani reveals that she has formed her own Lion Guard to Kion and the others. The two guards then hold a competition to see whose Guard is better. When Vitani is pitted against Kion, she tells him that she doesn't need the Roar of the Elders because she believes that she's fierce enough to lead the Lion Guard. Remembering what Askari told him, this convinced Kion to accept Vitani and her lionesses as the new Lion Guard, giving her the position as the leader, the Fiercest, and the Roar of the Elders. Vitani then tests her newly bestowed power, successfully using the Roar. After Askari reveals himself and commends Kion for truly mastering the Roar, Vitani asks what he meant by mastering it, which Kion demonstrates by lifting Pride Rock, astonishing and impressing everyone, especially Vitani and her Guard. Vitani and her Lion Guard, unfortunately, were unable to attend Rani and Kion's wedding since they had to stay and watch over the Pride Lands, but they most definitely would have attended if they could.

### Lions of the Outlands

     Vitani is resting on some rocks in the watering hole with her mother, Zira, which they had taken over sometime beforehand. Her brothers, Kovu and Nuka approach, bringing two guests with them - Jasiri, a hyena they drove out and Kion, the son of Simba. After introducing herself, Zira introduces Vitani to the pair. Vitani is somewhat skeptical of a lion and hyena, but her mother remains interested over Kion's link to the Pride Lands, explaining to her daughter that Kion is actually linked to royalty.

     After a while, Zira hints towards Kion having more power than he's letting on. Vitani questions what her mother knows and Zira explains that Kion, being the leader of the Lion Guard, possesses a special power known as the Roar of the Elders. She tells Kion to roar at the cloud to help his hyena friend get some water and, reluctantly, Kion does so. This causes a brief shower to occur, whilst Vitani watches on in amazement. Zira then takes Kion away to talk privately, leaving her with her siblings and Jasiri. Her mother adds that they must play nice while she's gone.

     After a while, Vitani becomes restless, questioning her mother's whereabouts. Although Nuka turns to attack Jasiri against his mother's wishes, Vitani remains in her position on a rock in the watering hole, even when her mother returns. She listens to Zira as she forces the hyena out, claiming that Kion has agreed to let them have the watering hole for themselves.

     Zira then takes her children to where Kion is being held hostage, informing her children that Kion has chosen to side with the hyenas instead of them. When Nuka expresses his concerns about the Roar his mother dispells his doubts and he attacks Kion but is knocked back. Vitani shakes her head and utters his name with sarcasm and disappointment.

     Zira offers Kion one last chance to join them, but she and the Outsiders become worried when they hear the rest of the Lion Guard approaching. Vitani holds her ground and enters a fighting stance, leaping towards Fuli. She is pinned to the ground by the cheetah, rendering her unable to fight, until she is eventually let go. Vitani joins her mother and stands tall, but when Kion is reminded that he can still use the Roar of the Elders without actually losing it, she is blasted away with the rest of the Outsiders (except for Kovu, who dodged the attack). She is thrown into a far away area (the Termite Mounds), which Zira declares to be their new home.

### Cave of Secrets

     Vitani and her family make a brief appearance as cave paintings during the song Wisdom on the Walls, where they are shown being banished from the Pride Lands.

**The Lion King II: Simba's Prde**

Vitani is seen first as a young cub, arguing with her brother Nuka over Kovu. She points out that Nuka's failure to babysit Kovu will get him in trouble, and scoffs at his claim that he could be a better leader than Kovu. When Zira returns with the wandering Kovu, Vitani greets him and challenges him to a fight. She later approves of Zira's plot to kill Simba by taking advantage of Kovu's relationship with Kiara.

As an adolescent, Vitani and Nuka are tasked with setting a wildfire in the Pride Lands while Kiara is hunting. The two gather fire from the elephant graveyard and quickly set a large blaze. This interrupts Kiara's first hunt and forces the princess to flee, which allows Kovu to rescue Kiara and eventually enter Simba's pride. She is later seen spying on Kovu and becoming dismayed when she witnesses her brother sparing Simba's life when he could have taken him from behind. Vitani quickly informs her mother. Zira is angered and plots an ambush of Simba, in which Vitani takes part. In the course of the fight, Vitani notices Kovu's attempts to defend Simba so she kicks him into a boulder and knocks him out to end his interference. When Nuka is crushed by logs that fell from the dam, she rushes forward to see her brother and witnesses his death. Along with Zira, she is shown to mourn Nuka's death, but her feelings on Kovu's betrayal are not shown.

She is shown to take part in a battle against the Pridelanders, planned by Zira as an attempt to take the throne by force. She momentarily taunts and then fights Nala but is defeated with Nala using the flip move she used on Simba in the first film, while Zira deals with Simba. Kiara and Kovu intervene, and Kiara argues that the two prides should stop fighting and come together, as there is no difference between them.

Vitani is the first to understand the truth of Kiara's words. She surprises-both Zira and Kovu by being the first to rejoin Simba's pride and makes an attempt to convince her mother that it's time to stop fighting. But Zira is angered and sees Vitani as a traitor. Zira threatens to kill her own daughter as well as Simba's pride, which shocks and disgusts the other outsiders enough to join Simba as well. She later joins Pride Rock following the death of her mother and lives the remainder of her life with the rest of the lions.

### Journey to the Pride Lands

Vitani is mentioned by Jasiri when she tells the guard that Zira's kids have fully grown.

### Return to the Pride Lands

After most of the events of *The Lion King II: Simba's Pride*, Vitani joins Simba's pride and becomes the new leader of the Pride Lands' Lion Guard during Kion's absence.

One day, Vitani catches Kion and a group of Outlanders making an "attack" on the Pride Lands, leading to a battle between her Guard, and his Guard. The fight is eventually broken up by Kiara and Kovu, who explains that Vitani and her friends have

    joined Simba's Pride. Vitani then recognizes Kion from their first meeting and is surprised when she realizes that the "lion with the Mark of Evil" is actually Kion. Vitani then points out how long it has been since their last encounter before admitting she did not recognize Kion with his scar and being surrounded by outlanders. The Lion then returns home after Kion thanks Jasiri, her clan, and the vultures for their help. Rafiki explains that after the events of *Lions of the Outlands*, Zira trained Kovu to kill Simba and take over the Pride Land

    s, but after getting to know Simba and Kiara, she and Kovu convinced Vitani and the other Outsiders to join the pride, whilst Zira refused and died. Sometime later, Kion's Guard, and Vitani's Guard fight over who should be the Pride Land's Lion Guard, and as a result, they have a contest. Kion's Guard wins, leading to Vitani challenging Kion to a Mashindano. Kion, knowing that Vitani has no chance against the Roar of the Elders, warns Vitani, but is responded by Vitani telling him that she does not need the Roar to be a leader. Remembering and now understanding his ancestor Askari's words, Kion hands over the role

    of his homeland's Lion Guard leader and bestowed the power of the Roar to Vitani. When Vitani asked Kion what he meant when he truly mastered the Roar, he showed her how powerful his Roar is by lifting and dropping Pride Rock with the Roar, leaving her amazed and astonished with her saying his catchphrase.

## **Family**

* **Zira**: Mother
* **Nuka**: Older Brother
* **Kovu**: Younger Brother
* **Kiara**: Sister-in-Law
* **Kion**: Brother-in-law
* **Simba**: Father-in-law
* **Nala**: Mother-in-law

## **Friends**

* **Lioness**
* **Shabaha**
* **Kasi**
* **Imara**
* **Tazama**
* **Bunga**
* **Beshte**
* **Fuli**
* **Ono**
* **Jasiri**
* **Madoa**
* **Janja**
* **Cheezi**
* **Chungu**
* **Mzingo**
* **Mwoga**
* **Anga**
* **Azaad**
* **Rafiki**
* **Laini**
* **Thurston**

## **Enemies**

* **Kiara** (formerly)
* **Simba** (formerly)
* **Nala** (formerly)
* **Kovu** (briefly)
* **Timon** (formerly)
* **Pumbaa** (formerly)
* **Kion** (formerly)
* **Fuli** (formerly)
* **Bunga** (formerly)
* **Beshte** (formerly)
* **Ono** (formerly)
* **Anga** (formerly)
* **Azaad** (formerly)
* **Jasiri** (formerly)
* **Madoa** (formerly)
* **Janja** (formerly)
* **Cheezi** (formerly)
* **Chungu** (formerly)
* **Mzingo** (formerly)
* **Mwoga** (formerly)
* **Zira**
* **Scar**

## **Trivia**

* n a news article, Vitani is mistakenly noted to be a descendant of Scar.[1]

* + This is false, as Scar never had children nor a mate.
* She is voiced by Lacey Chabert, the same person who voiced her as a cub in *The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride*.
* She is the first female leader of the Lion Guard.
* Vitani's Lion Guard is the first Lion Guard to have all the members be just female.
	+ Although Fuli and Anga are the first and second females to join any Guard, Vitani is the first female to lead any Lion Guard.
	+ She is the first Lion Guard leader that's not the youngest sibling. Ironically she is the second-born cub of Zira, however in this case Zira is not royalty.
	+ She is the first female to use the Roar of the Elders.
* In "**Return to the Pride Lands**", Vitani recognizes the scar across Kion's left eye as the Mark of Evil. It's most likely that she learned this after she and her team settled into the Lair of the Lion Guard, indicating that they took on the role of the guard for a considerable long amount of time before Kion and his guard returned from the Tree of Life. This may also indicate that they came to learn about how Scar murdered the members of his own Lion Guard and Mufasa and of his true power-hungry nature, and thus abandoned all previous loyalty and respect they once held for him.
* Vitani is the fifth and last villain, after **Makuu**, the **Traveling Baboon Show**, **Janja** and **Mzingo**, who eventually reforms.