Lio Oak

**Lio Oak** is Kipo's loving father who passed on his enthusiasm for all things science and music to his daughter.

## Appearance

Lio has deep skin, maroon eyes, close-cropped brunette hair, and a circle beard. He wears a black and bright-pink boilersuit (identical to that worn by most of the other Clover Burrow residents) with a green burrow insignia over the left side chest.

When living in his previous burrow, Lio did not have a beard and wore a light grey and purple jumpsuit with a double helix motif running down the front.

## Personality

Lio is an intelligent, passionate, generous, and deliberate man. He is a protective father without being paternalistic and a committed community member without being insular or exclusive.

## History

### Early Years in the Burrow

Lio and his wife Song were once scientists in their old burrow. They were tasked by the burrow leader, Emilia, to isolate the mute mutagen and find a way to reverse its effects, which would allow humanity to retake the surface.

In one of their experiments, Lio and Song turned a mandrill named Hugo into an intelligent mute and successfully isolated the mute mutagen. At the same time, they found a way to combine mute genes with human genetics, thus granting mute abilities to humans with the intention of giving humans a fighting chance to live on the surface if they had mute abilities to protect them. They were successful and Song was impregnated with their daughter, Kipo, who would be born with mega jaguar genes. However, Lio and Song soon realized the dire consequences if their breakthrough were to become known and did not feel that it was right to strip sentience and intelligence from the mutes. They kept Hugo's abilities a secret and planned to all escape the burrow as soon as Kipo was born.

Unfortunately, Emilia had found out after she heard Hugo playing the piano. Lio and Song tried to protect Hugo but were unsuccessful. It was then that Hugo's puppet pheromones were discovered when he splashed some on a burrow scientist in self-defense. Emilia then imprisoned Hugo and forced him to run on a treadmill to harvest his pheromones. Emilia used Hugo's pheromones as leverage in order to force Lio and Song to further their research into developing a mute "cure". Lio would periodically visit Hugo in his prison to ensure he was alright.

During Song's pregnancy, she ended up absorbing some mega mute genes through Kipo, developing super strength and fur on her arms as a result. Lio and Song decided to isolate her to keep the truth about Kipo a secret. After Kipo was born, Emilia sought to confront the couple about Song's pregnancy, having realized what they had done. At Song's insistence, Lio was able to escape with Kipo while Song distracted Emilia. Soon after, the burrow was destroyed when Song's mute genes turned her into a Mega Monkey. This resulted in Hugo being separated from Lio when he chose Kipo over him.

On the surface, Lio, with baby Kipo, encountered many dangers. He eventually ended up in Eyeball Woods where he met a peaceful group of goat mutes known as the Chevre Sisters. The sisters gave Lio guidance and advised him to find a new burrow, as living on the surface would run the risk of Kipo's mute side taking over. At another point, Lio found Hugo but tensions arose when Hugo blamed Lio for abandoning him, forcing Lio to flee from him. Lio eventually found his way to another burrow and there he made a new life for himself and his daughter.

### Later Years

The day his underground burrow is attacked by Song under the control of Emilia, Lio pushes Kipo out of harm's way and into a surface-bound canal. When falling rocks block his attempt to follow, Lio is forced to flee to safety with the rest of the burrow. As the burrow migrates to a secret second location, Lio leaves behind a series of clues, trusting his clever daughter will find her way home.

As Lio anticipated, Kipo was able to follow his clues to the second burrow. He is relieved to see his daughter and welcomes her surface travel companions with open arms almost immediately after meeting them. Unfortunately, the happy reunion is cut short by Scarlemagne, with whom Lio seems to have a shared history.

Scarlemagne manages to trap Lio, using him as bait for Kipo. He puts Lio in a cage in his palace, awaiting the coronation. Scarlemagne manages to control Lio and get information from him by using his pheromones to control him.

Kipo breaks into Scarlemagne's home and talks to Lio, finding out more information about Hugo, Emilia, and what really happened years ago in the old burrow. Lio is still holding a lot of guilt from abandoning Hugo, but he knew he had to save his daughter and didn't have any other choice.

At the coronation, after Kipo defeats Scarlemange, Lio sees Scarlemagne knocked out on the stairs. He declares that he won't abandon him again and runs to save him from the flood of melted gold. He puts him in a cage, to be sent back to the home of the Timbercats.

### Season 3

In Season 3, Lio supports Kipo as she tries to build the H.M.U.F.A.- Human Mute Ultimate Friendship Alliance. He helps looks for Dr. Emilia to save and protect the mutes.

On a mission to save Wolf, Dave, and Benson who were trapped, Lio manages to grab one of Emilia's cure darts. They use it to cure Song and transform her back into a human. Their family lovingly embraces for the first time as humans since Kipo was a baby.

Lio and Song try to create a vaccine for the cure, although Song finds it hard at first to remember her knowledge of genetics. At the end of the season, after the group defeats Emilia, Lio and Song mourn over Hugo, who was mortally wounded in battle.

### Five Years Later

Lio is seen listening to Dave's presentation with Song and Good Billions. Later, he goes to have a picnic with his family and friends.

## Trivia

* Even before the second season, his experience on the surface has already been hinted based on these traits.
	+ His extensive knowledge of astronomy, which would not be taken seriously--let alone studied extensively--by Burrow inhabitants even if their library contains such subject due to their cavern environment lacking access to open skies.
	+ He knew enough about the Mega Monkey to share a history with it.
	+ The various clues he posted across Las Vistas without attracting attention from Mutes implied his knowledge of the land and scouting.
* It's confirmed that Lio grew up in the science burrow and that he is likely a clone of his father.
* He bears a strong resemblance to his voice actor, Sterling K. Brown.
* His name, Lio, may be a reference to the constellation "Leo", which represents a lion. This could be referencing both his love for astronomy and his daughter's identity as a hybrid Mute Jaguar, another large cat.

## Episode appearances

### Season 1

* 03. "Real Cats Wear Plaid"
* 04. "Cactus Town"
* 07. "Mulholland"
* 10. "Beyond the Valley of the Dogs"

### Season 2

* 01. "Paw of the Jaguar"
* 02. "The Goat Cheese Prophecy"
* 05. "Fun Gus Part I"
* 06. "Fun Gus Part II"
* 07. "Benson and the Beast"
* 08. "Sympathy for the Mandrill"
* 09. "All That Glitters"
* 10. "Heroes on Fire"

### Season 3

* 01. "Everything is Crabs"
* 02. "Code Word Milkshake"
* 04. "Don't You Forget a Meow Me"
* 05. "Song ReMix"
* 07. "Requiem for a Dave"
* 08. "Hidden Treasures"
* 09. "Prahmises"
* 10. "Age of the Wonderbeasts"

## References

1. ↑ "Beyond the Valley of the Dogs." Bill Wolkoff (writer) & Kalvin Lee, Young Ki Yoon (directors). *Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts*. Netflix. January 14, 2020. No. 10, season 1
2. ↑ [1]Rad Sechrist answers how did Lio and Song meet.

Mrs. Sartori • Kwat
 Timbercats
Yumyan Hammerpaw • Molly Yarnchopper • Shoelace McCutty • Ruffles
 Umlaut Snäkes
Cotton • Camille
 Newton Wolves
Bad Billions • Good Billions
 Fitness Raccoons
Carton • Tongue Compressor • Label
 The TheaOtters
Puck
 Others
Scarlemagne • Jamack • Pierre • Tad Mulholland
Scarlemagne's Nobles • Scooter Skunks • Humming Bombers • Chevre Sisters • The Narhartz
 Humans