The Lion King- 30 Characters

Happy New Year!!!

My recent Lion King 30th Anniversary poster did really well, better than any artwork I’ve posted before, so I figured I’d do another poster, this time with a lineup of all 30 of the Lion King characters I drew (and short descriptions of them below for anyone not familiar with some of the them). It was so amazing to get to celebrate the 30th anniversary of my favorite movie last year. I drew 30 of the major characters from all the animated Lion King films and shows, and it was so much fun! I really can’t say enough good about The Lion King. It’s just perfect!

I saw Mufasa: The Lion King a couple weeks ago, and it was incredible to get to see a completely original and new Lion King story in theaters. I’ve been waiting for one ever since The Lion Guard finished, and Mufasa was a very satisfying and beautiful movie. It definitely wasn’t perfect and there were a few things I was disappointed or underwhelmed by, but mostly I just really loved it. It’s been years since I’ve seen a Disney movie that actually satisfied me, and unsurprisingly, this one did it. I won’t go into too much detail about Mufasa here, but the highlights were the songs and soundtrack (Milele is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard in any Disney movie), the visuals (way more expressive and more interesting than the 2019 remake), and the interesting new lore and depth added to familiar characters, as well as some amazing new characters, namely Kiros, Eshe, and Mufasa’s parents (and a familiar face I can’t believe was actually included in the movie that made me absolutely overjoyed). DON’T listen to the critics, Mufasa is definitely worth seeing, especially if you’re a Lion King fan. If nothing else, it’s an exciting and fresh new addition to the world of The Lion King, which is extremely rare, so seize the opportunity to see this in theaters! I’m planning to see it again at least once. I might post a review of the movie sometime soon.

Anyway, descriptions of the characters I drew are below. It’s kind of like a very condensed Lion King character encyclopedia.

1. Simba (The Lion King)- Former Prince of the Pridelands and son of Mufasa and Sarabi; loses his father as a cub but eventually takes his rightful place as King of the Pridelands alongside his best friend Nala; later has two cubs, Kiara and Kion.

2. Nala (The Lion King)- Simba’s childhood best friend and later mate; helps Simba reclaim the throne and becomes Queen of the Pridelands; later has two cubs, Kiara and Kion.

3. Mufasa (The Lion King)- Former King of the Pridelands and father to Simba; gets betrayed and killed by his brother Scar in a stampede; his spirit later guides Simba and especially his grandson Kion.

4. Sarabi (The Lion King)- Former Queen of the Pridelands and mother to Simba; remains in the Pridelands until Scar is defeated by Simba, then later dies of unknown causes.

5. Scar (The Lion King)- Brother to King Mufasa who allies with the hyenas to kill him and usurp the throne; is later challenged and defeated by Simba and killed by his hyenas; returns years later as a vengeful fiery ghost until defeated by Simba’s son Kion.

6. Rafiki (The Lion King)- Royal Mjuzi of the Pridelands and friend to the royal family; guides Simba to return to the Pridelands and serves as a healer and spiritual communicator for the Pridelands.

7. Zazu (The Lion King)- Majordomo to King Mufasa, and later Simba; looks out for Simba and Nala as cubs; faithfully delivers reports of everything going on in the Pridelands.

8. Timon (The Lion King)- Wisecracking best friend of Pumbaa who helps raise Simba after his father’s death; later takes in and raises Bunga.

9. Pumbaa (The Lion King)- Flatulent best friend of Timon who helps raise Simba in the jungle; later takes in and raises Bunga.

10. Shenzi (The Lion King)- Leader of a clan of hyenas and allies with Scar; helps take over the Pridelands but later turns on and kills Scar after Simba’s return and is never seen again.

11. Banzai (The Lion King)- Member of Shenzi’s clan who allies with Scar to take over the Pridelands; helps kill Scar and presumably dies in the fire at Pride Rock.

12. Ed (The Lion King)- Another member of Shenzi’s clan who helps with Scar’s plan; helps kill Scar and is never seen again after.

13. Ma (The Lion King 1 1/2)- Mother to Timon and leader of a meerkat colony; tries to help her son fit in but ultimately lets him go to find his own place.

14. Uncle Max (The Lion King 1 1/2)- Cranky uncle to Timon; helps Ma save Timon from hyenas in the battle at Pride Rock.

15. Kiara (The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride)- Princess (and future queen) of the Pridelands, daughter to Simba and Nala, and older sister to Kion; reluctant to become a queen at first, but falls in love with Kovu, an Outsider, and helps unite the Outsiders with Simba’s pride.

16. Kovu (The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride)- Former Outsider chosen by Scar during his reign to be the next king and trained by Zira to kill Simba; later falls in love with Kiara and helps her unite their prides, becoming future King of the Pridelands.

17. Zira (The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride)- Mother to Kovu, Nuka, and Vitani, leader of the Outsiders, and loyal follower of Scar; gets banished to the Outlands when Simba reclaims the throne and later leads an attack on Simba’s pride, but her pride joins them and she falls into a river and drowns.

18. Nuka (The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride)- Oldest son of Zira desperate to please her; helps set fire to the Pridelands and ambushes Simba but later gets crushed by falling logs.

19. Vitani (The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride)- Oldest daughter of Zira and former Outsider; helps set fire to the Pridelands and attack Simba’s pride, but later turns on Zira and joins Simba’s pride; becomes current leader of the Lion Guard.

20. Kion (The Lion Guard)- Prince of the Pridelands, son of Simba and Nala, younger brother of Kiara, and leader/Fiercest member of the Lion Guard; assembles the first Lion Guard of different species and defends the Pridelands for many years; later gets poisoned and journeys to the Tree of Life where he falls in love with Rani and becomes the King of the Tree of Life.

21. Bunga (The Lion Guard)- Best friend to Kion and Bravest member on the Lion Guard; gets adopted as a cub by Timon and Pumbaa and helps defend the Pridelands; later journeys with Kion to the Tree of Life where he falls in love with Binga.

22. Fuli (The Lion Guard)- Close friend to Kion and Fastest member on the Lion Guard; helps defend the Pridelands and later goes to the Tree of Life with Kion and falls in love with Azaad.

23. Beshte (The Lion Guard)- Son of Basi, close friend to Kion and Strongest member on the Lion Guard; helps defend the Pridelands and later goes to the Tree of Life with Kion and stays.

24. Ono (The Lion Guard)- Close friend to Kion and former Keenest of Sight on the Lion Guard; helps defend the Pridelands and later gets blinded in a volcano and becomes the Smartest member; goes to the Tree of Life with Kion and gets his vision healed.

25. Anga (The Lion Guard)- Keenest of Sight on the Lion Guard; helps fight against Scar’s army and later joins the Lion Guard and journeys to the Tree of Life with them.

26. Makini (The Lion Guard)- Former Royal Mjuzi-in-training to Kiara; trains as Rafiki’s apprentice in the Pridelands but later goes with the Lion Guard to the Tree of Life and becomes Rani’s Royal Mjuzi instead.

27. Jasiri (The Lion Guard)- Close friend to Kion and leader of a clan of hyenas in the Outlands; helps Kion in the fight against Scar’s army; becomes leader of all the Outlands after Scar’s defeat and falls in love with Janja.

28. Janja (The Lion Guard)- Former nemesis of Kion and his Guard; constantly invades the Pridelands to steal food and later helps carry out Scar’s plans; then gets betrayed by Scar and decides to join the Pridelanders and falls in love with Jasiri.

29. Rani (The Lion Guard)- Leader of the Night Pride at the Tree of Life and older sister to Baliyo; loses both parents as a cub, then later her grandmother, and becomes Queen of the Tree of Life; falls in love with Kion and convinces him to be her king.

30. Queen Janna (The Lion Guard)- Former Queen of the Tree of Life and grandmother to Rani; heals and helps all animals who come to the Tree of Life; trains Rani to become queen and later dies of old age.