Bunga

―Bunga's catchphrase[src] | ”

**Bunga** is a male honey badger. He is the former bravest member of the Lion Guard. He currently serves as a member of the Night Pride.

## Biography

### Early life

Bunga met Timon and Pumbaa when he was an infant. While he was eating bugs by himself and feeling lonely, he encountered Timon and Pumbaa singing "Utamu". Bunga instantly took a liking to them and followed the two friends. While Pumbaa was quick to accept Bunga due to his cuteness, Timon was against it due to how difficult raising Simba had been.

In an attempt to make Bunga leave them of his own accord, Timon made him climb a tree to fetch some Utamu grubs. When Bunga succeeded and gave the grubs to Timon, Timon and Pumbaa decided to keep the little honey badger, and the three began to live together.

Sometime after this, Bunga befriended Kion, the son of Simba.

### Dawn of the Lion Guard

—Bunga and Kion[src] | ”

Bunga and his best friend Kion are first seen goofing around on Pride Rock, where Simba is teaching Kiara about life as a future monarch. Kion's antics with Bunga disturb the two, so they take their game away from Pride Rock and into the heart of the Pride Lands.

While playing, the two manage to lose their baobab ball in the Outlands. When Bunga goes to retrieve it, he is attacked by two hyenas, Cheezi and Chungu, who are under Janja's command. Before the hyenas can hurt Bunga, Kion steps in, roaring so loudly that the hyenas drop Bunga, who climbs to safety.

Meanwhile, Rafiki and Simba overhear Kion's roar, and the two come to realize that it is time for him to lead the Lion Guard. When Bunga and Kion return to Pride Rock, Rafiki leads them to the Lair of the Lion Guard, where he explains that Scar used to lead the Lion Guard until he lost his powers. Simba then tasks Kion with gathering a new Lion Guard to protect the Pride Lands.

Bunga and Kion set out right away, and Kion asks the honey badger if he will join the team. Bunga accepts, and his adopted uncles, Timon and Pumbaa, offer him enthusiastic congratulations. Unbeknownst to the friends, they have been spied on by Mzingo, a vulture minion of Janja's, who reports back to his leader about the newly formed Guard. When Janja hears the news, he announces to his clan that they will strike that very night.

On the other side of the savanna, Kion has appointed Beshte, Fuli, and Ono to positions on the Guard in addition to Bunga. He gathers the team together and attempts to show them the Roar of the Elders, but all that comes out is a squeak. Just then, Simba arrives and reacts in horror to Kion's choice of teammates. He insists that the Guard must be made of lions only and then berates Kion for treating his role as leader like a game.

Not long after this, Bunga calls for Kion's help, shouting that the hyenas are attacking a herd of gazelles. With no time to lose, Kion assembles the Lion Guard, using his paw to gift each of them with a special shoulder marking.

Together, the five friends attack the hyenas, driving them back into the Outlands. Kion finishes the fight with the powerful Roar of the Elders, and even Janja flees in terror. Simba happens to be watching from a nearby ridge and realizes that his son was wise to have chosen who he chose. He congratulates his son on the victory and accepts this new, brilliant assembling of loyal animals.

### Meeting Jasiri

When Janja and his cronies, Cheezi and Chungu, chase after a herd of oryx, the Lion Guard races to the rescue, chasing them off. As the hyenas scurry away, Kion takes chase, yelling at the rest of the Lion Guard to calm the herd. He then charges after the hyenas, chasing them into the Outlands, but as he crosses a log, it breaks beneath his weight, and he falls into the raging river below.

The rest of the Lion Guard attempts to save him, with Bunga bravely jumping in after his friend, but the current proves to be too rough for him, and Bunga is only saved when Beshte jumps in to bear him to shore. Meanwhile, Kion manages to pull himself to safety on the opposite bank of the river, in the Outlands.

With no hope of crossing back over, Kion instructs his friends to meet him at Flat Ridge Rock while he attempts to navigate through the Outlands. Bunga claims to know where Flat Ridge Rock is, and Kion sends Ono after his friends in order to ensure that they make it safely.

Bunga leads the Lion Guard into an area of dense jungle. After a few mishaps, including a run-in with Ushari, the friends realize that Bunga is lost. Beshte suggests they talk to a rhinoceros who might be familiar with Flat Ridge Rock, and the Lion Guard agrees to the new plan.

While Beshte is talking to Mbeya, Bunga and his friends wait on the edge of the water hole. Eventually, the friends grow impatient and insist that Beshte wrap up his conversation. Realizing that he'd forgotten to ask about Flat Ridge Rock, Beshte rushes back to ask Mbeya for directions.

With Beshte in the lead, the Lion Guard continues to search for Flat Ridge Rock until Ono picks it up on his radar. Fuli then speeds ahead of her friends, and the Lion Guard scrambles to catch up. With Fuli having sped ahead, the other members of the Lion Guard labor to catch up with her. Once they reach Flat Ridge Rock, they complain that Kion never would have left them behind, and Fuli apologizes for being over-eager.

While at Flat Ridge Rock, the Lion Guard overhears Kion using the Roar of the Elders. They immediately jump to Kion's defense, ready to fight off a young hyena named Jasiri, but Kion insists that she's a friend. Together, the Lion Guard and Jasiri walk to the border of the Pride Lands, where Jasiri and Kion exchange fond farewells.

### Rise of Makuu

Bunga and his friends are first seen racing to the rescue of an animal crying for help. However, when the five arrive at the scene, they find a little hyrax stuck in a thorn bush. Annoyed at the false alarm, the Guard proceeds to free the hyrax, who is soon swallowed by Ushari. Again, the Guard frees him, and he runs away in terror of Bunga's smell.

The friends travel to Big Springs, where Beshte shows off his home to his friends. Bunga attempts to get the fish to lick him clean, but they steer clear of his odor. While there, the friends overhear Makuu challenge his leader, Pua, to a mashindano.

While Kion goes to talk to his father, Ono attempts to clean off Bunga, and the two sing "Don't Make a Stink" with Timon and Pumbaa.

Later, the animals of the Pride Lands gather to witness the mashindano, with Bunga acting particularly enthused, and Makuu manages to pull a victory over the aged Pua. After Pua's defeat, the Lion Guard gathers in the Lair of the Lion Guard, where Ono attempts to mask Bunga's smell. However, he only succeeds in making the honey badger sneeze. In the midst of the gathering, Kiara rushes up and warns Kion that the giraffes have moved into the baboon's forest. The Lion Guard rushes to the rescue, and the five discover that Makuu has invaded Big Springs, which has forced the other animals to switch habitats.

The Lion Guard confronts Makuu and asks him to leave Big Springs, but the crocodile refuses, mocking Kion for being unwilling to fight. Though Bunga encourages Kion to use the Roar of the Elders, the cub decides against it, not wanting to be like Scar and lash out in anger.

The five return to Pride Rock, where Kiara reveals that there's been an invasion of baboons. While the baboons run around in chaos, wrecking Pride Rock, Ono manages to use mint leaves to rid Bunga of his stink.

Finally, Bunga and his friends decide to demonstrate the Roar of the Elders on a grove of trees to show Makuu what he would be in for if he should attempt a fight. While Bunga, Fuli, and Ono set out to clear the grove of animals, Beshte and Kion confront Makuu. However, as they're clearing the grove, Bunga, Fuli, and Ono spot the hyrax sitting peacefully in one of the trees, and Bunga climbs up to bring him to safety. When Ono gives the signal, Kion roars into the trees, clearing them all of their branches. In awe, Makuu backs down and leads his float out of Big Springs.

After Makuu leaves, the animals return to their habitats, and Basi invites the crocodiles to return to Big Springs once the fish population spikes. The Lion Guard watches in satisfaction.

(To be continued)

## Physical appearance

Bunga is a quite short but stocky honey badger, with a well-rounded physique and small paws. His fur is dark silvery-blue. He sports many colors, from the striking pinks of his ears to the thick navy shades of his bushy eyebrows. His nose appears to be a very dark shade of brown, while his eyes are coal-black. His teeth are large and distinctly gap-filled. He has black pads on the soles of his feet.

As a teenager, Bunga is taller, with longer white fur.

## Personality and traits

—Kiara, Kion, and Timon on Bunga[src] | ”

Unlike his rule-following best friend Kion, Bunga is a free spirit with an adventurous streak and an affinity for games. Very rarely does Bunga act serious or even sit still, for he is always on the move, working off boundless energy and enthusiasm, and makes even the most dire of situations into a fantastic time. Though this makes him a great friend and playmate, it lands him into trouble more often than not.

With so much endless zest, Bunga is a magnet for trouble and is known to be deliberately disobedient, as seen when he strays into the Outlands to fetch his misplaced baobab ball. Though he is often warned by Kion, Bunga rushes straight into situations, often inflaming them and requiring his friends to come to his rescue. In addition, he is known to be disrespectful of authority, most notably when he calls Simba "a big, old scaredy cat" for placing rules of safety around Kion.

This sort of attitude is only intensified by Bunga's impetuous nature. Thinking himself to know the best, he often ignores the advice of his friends and gives in to his more impulsive instincts. His impatience and hot-headed demeanor only create more chaos, for Bunga is easily spun into a fury and is repeatedly too stubborn to back out of a perilous situation.

Despite these more negative quirks, Bunga is valued for his bravery, a trait he has in plenty. Not only is he willing to put himself in bodily harm, such as his stunt in leaping off Pride Rock, but he will face down predators such as the hyenas in order to save his friends. As Kiara puts it, he is "brave, bordering on stupid," but a valued member of the Lion Guard nonetheless. He is also very friendly and kind.

## Relationships

* Unnamed father
* Timon - Adoptive Uncle
* Pumbaa - Adoptive Uncle
* Simba - Adoptive Brother
* Binga - Mate, Former Rival, and Former Teammate
* Lulu - Daughter

Allies* Simba's pride
	+ Kiara
	+ Tiifu
	+ Zuri
	+ Nala
	+ Sarabi
	+ Kovu - Temporary Enemy
* Night Pride - Former Teammates and Close Friends
	+ Ono
	+ Beshte
	+ Rani - Queen
	+ Surak
	+ Baliyo
	+ Nirmala
* Kion - Best Friend, Former Leader, and King
* Fuli - Former Teammate and Savior
* Anga - Former Teammate and Savior
* Jasiri - Former Teammate and Close Friend
* Royal Mjuzis
	+ Rafiki †
	+ Makini - Friend
* Pride Landers
	+ Zazu
	+ Pua - Former Attempted Killer and Savior
	+ Makuu - Former Attempted Killer
	+ Mbeya
	+ Thurston
	+ Mbuni
	+ Mtoto
	+ Tamaa
	+ Muhimu
	+ Swala
	+ Hamu - Close Friend
	+ Ajabu
	+ Mjomba - Temporary Enemy
	+ Ogopa - Temporary Enemy
	+ Haya - Temporary Enemy
	+ Shingo
	+ Laini
	+ Twiga
	+ Juhudi
	+ Hadithi
	+ Basi
	+ Bupu
	+ Boboka
	+ Kifaru
	+ Young rhino
	+ Mtoto's mother
	+ Zito
	+ Muhangus
	+ Pim
	+ Kongwe
	+ Kinyonga
	+ Kuchimba
* Jasiri's clan
	+ Madoa
	+ Wema
	+ Tunu
	+ Janja - Former Enemy
	+ Cheezi - Former Enemy
	+ Chungu - Former Enemy
	+ Nne - Former Enemy
	+ Tano - Former Enemy
* Badili
* Sokwe's troop
	+ Sokwe
	+ Majinuni
	+ Hafifu
	+ Shujaa
* Traveling Baboon Show - Temporary Enemies
	+ Uroho
	+ Mwevi
	+ Mwizi
* Dhahabu's herd
	+ Dhahabu - Unrequited Love Interest
	+ Starehe
	+ Raha
* Kiburi's float - Former Enemies
	+ Kiburi - Former Attempted Killer
	+ Tamka - Former Attempted Killer
* Mzingo's parliament - Former Enemies
	+ Mzingo
	+ Mwoga
* Reirei's pack - Former Enemies
	+ Reirei - Former Attempted Killer
	+ Goigoi
* Azaad
* Pinguino's rookery
	+ Pinguino
* Varya
* Feliks
* Pasha and Polina
* Lion Guard - Temporary Enemies
	+ Vitani
	+ Shabaha - Former Rival
	+ Kasi
	+ Imara
	+ Tazama
	+ Kopa
* Great Kings of the Past
	+ Janna †
	+ Askari †
	+ Mufasa † - Resurrector
* Ma
* Chuluun - Former Attempted Killer
* Outsiders
	+ Zira †
	+ Nuka †
* Mpishi
* Army of Scar
	+ Scar † - Killer
	+ Ushari † - Attempted Killer, Indirect Victim and archenemy
	+ Dogo - Situational Ally
	+ Dogo's brothers
	+ Kijana
	+ Nduli
	+ Kenge - Attempted Killer
	+ Sumu - Attempted Victim
* Shupavu's group
	+ Shupavu
	+ Njano
	+ Nyeusi
	+ Nyata
	+ Waza
* Makucha's army
	+ Mama Binturong - Attempted Abuser and arch nemesis
	+ Makucha - Attempted Killer
	+ Ora
	+ Fahari
	+ Jiona
* Smun's prickle
	+ Smun - Attempted Killer

## Appearances

* *The Lion King: Revisited*
	+ "Return of the Roar"
	+ "Lions of the Outlands"
	+ "The Rise of Scar"
	+ "Snow Day"
	+ "Hyena Resistance"
	+ "Pride Landers Unite!"
	+ "The Ultimate Showdown"
	+ "Battle for the Pride Lands"
	+ "The Tree of Life"
	+ "Kiara's First Hunt"
	+ "The Unwelcome Stranger"
	+ "Love Will Find a Way"
	+ "Return to the Pride Lands"
	+ "Epilogue: An Important Coronation"
* *The Lion Guard Holiday Special*
* *The Lion King: Revisited*
	+ "Lion Guard: The Night Mission"
	+ "Lion Guard: Wild Schemes and Catastrophes"

## Trivia

* Bunga was voiced by Joshua Rush.

* Bunga's name means "fool, simpleton" or "foolish, silly" in Swahili.

* Bunga's catchphrase "Zuka zama!" means "Pop up, dive in!" in Swahili.

* Bunga has a habit of saying "Unbungalievable" (a play on the word "unbelievable") whenever he is amazed.

* Bunga's name was given to him by Pumbaa, who called him "Bunga" after watching him bravely climb a tree in pursuit of grubs.

* Bunga's fearless, reckless, and hot-headed nature is grounded in reality, as real honey badgers are aggressive and fearless.

* Bunga has a crush on Dhahabu, a golden zebra from the Back Lands, in the second season. He likely does not maintain any feelings for her anymore, as he later becomes engaged in a more defined relationship.

* Bunga is in a romantic relationship with a female honey badger named Binga in the third and fourth seasons.