Simba

Simba is the main protagonist of Disney's 32nd full-length 1994 animated feature film, The Lion King and it's upcoming remake, the tritagonist of its 1998 sequel The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, the 2004 parallel The Lion King 1½ and the 1995-1999 TV series The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa, and a supporting character in the 2016 TV series The Lion Guard.

He is the son and only child of Mufasa and Sarabi, the nephew of Scar, the best friend later husband of Nala, the father of Kiara and Kion, the father-in-law of Kovu, the son-in-law of Sarafina and the current King of The Pride Lands.

In The Lion King: Six New Adventures books (which are non-canon to the films and TV shows), Simba and Nala are the parents of a son named Kopa. Also in these books, it is said that Simba's grandparents were called Ahadi and Uru.

He was voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas (Jason Weaver, singing) as a cub and Matthew Broderick as an adolescent and an adult (Joseph Williams and Cam Clarke, singing) in the films and Rob Lowe in The Lion Guard. Donald Glover is set to voice Simba in the upcoming remake of The Lion King.

Physical Appearance
Newborn Simba was very small and chubby with a large head. He had light spots on his head and body, as newborn lions usually have. As a cub, Simba was small and slender. He has "brownish-gold" fur, with a lighter cream color accenting his belly, muzzle and paws. He has large, bright eyes with orange irises (red as an adult) and yellow scleras; his upper lids are a deep tawny. Additionally, he has a light pink nose and four black whiskers on either side of his muzzle, and the insides of his ears are tawny and rimmed with black. Cub Simba boasts a small tuft of hair on top of his head, and a short bushy tail. He has somewhat stocky proportions.

Teenage Simba retains much of the appearance he had as a child, but is much more skinny. He has a mop of reddish-orange hair growing on the top of his head and partially down his neck; this is the early stage of his mane growing in. Teen Simba also has some noticeable darker colorations on his body, such as a brownish point above his nose.

As a young adult, Simba is much larger and his body is muscular. His russet mane is now fully grown and covers the entirety of his neck and much of his back, and his ears are barely seen. His eyes are smaller in relation to his head and are more oval-shaped. In the sequels Simba's Pride and The Lion Guard, now a full grown adult, the colors of Simba's pelt and mane are somewhat duller, and he has a more aged look and a heavier build.

Simba takes after both of his parents. From Mufasa, Simba inherits his gold fur and brown mane. From Sarabi, Simba inherits her ear rims (which he loses as an teenager), eye colour and her rounded features.

Personality
Cub Simba was playful and always ready for an adventure with his best friend, Nala. He tried to see the best in everyone, even his uncle Scar. At times, he could be a show-off and arrogant, and boasted that he will be greatest king ever, which often got himself and Nala into danger. In spite of this, he came to see the fault in his actions and always learned from his mistakes. And he is also known as selfless, intellectual, mature, brave, adventurous, kind, imaginative, noble, good-hearted, strong, insecure, merciful, benevolent, affectionate, judgmental (formerly), optimistic, understanding, nice, gentlemanly, strict (formerly), industrious, modest, brainy, athletic, trusting, energetic, even-tempered, no-nonsense, accountable, graceful, earnest, sophisticated, idealistic, melodramatic, bashful, arrogant (sometimes), protective, organized, unselfish, gentle, aspiring, daring, upbeat, loyal, truthful, sweet, irascible (sometimes), music-loving, fatherly, forgiving, big-hearted and attentive. Now as an adult, Simba still has his fun-loving demeanor, but has become ashamed of those actions he believed were his fault when he was a cub. After reuniting with Nala, Simba realizes he needs to mature and take responsibility, he becomes even more courageous and is determined to protect his family and kingdom, regardless of the cost. Simba becomes very strict and takes his job of ruling the kingdom very seriously. Unfortunately, later in life, this defensiveness causes him to become occasionally over-protective and arrogant to others, even his family. However, he eventually comes to see the light and is successful in saving his pride. Simba is marked by his strong sense of justice. Yet despite this, he is still gullible to his enemies, such as when Zira congratulated Kovu for leading Simba into the ambush she set up, he automatically believes her words and distrusts Kovu again, when Kovu was really unaware of the ambush and therefore, had nothing to do with it. He is also extremely protective of Kiara to the point of keeping her in his eyesight constantly. He is so determined to keep his family safe that he ignores reality. He is mean to Kovu but is not above listening to reason and to being loyal to what his own father was, his rules and laws. At the trial, due to his injuries, his anger, and the stress of his position, he finally snaps, ignoring his daughter's pleas. This almost nearly destroys his relationship with his daughter.

When confronted by Kiara at the end of the movie, he harshly orders her out, but his daughter convinces him that his foes are their own kind. Simba looking at everybody, finally realizes that Kiara is correct and begins to trust her more. When Kiara tackles Zira to prevent the irate lioness from killing him, he jumps after her to rescue her. Kiara tells him that she tried to save Zira, and seeing that Kovu belongs with her, gives his blessing for the two to marry. He is more forgiving of his enemies and more trusting of his daughter, indicating he is becoming a better ruler.

Simba also likes to stick to tradition, which was why at first he rejected his son Kion's choices for The Lion Guard as they were not all lions like previous Lion Guards. However, after seeing Kion and his Guard defeat Janja's clan, Simba realizes that Kion was wise to have chosen whom he chose and finally accepts the new Lion Guard.

The Lion King
In The Lion King, Simba was born to Mufasa and Sarabi, and, at his birth, was presented to the kingdom as their future king. Rafiki, a wise mandrill who was an old friend of Mufasa, headed the ceremony, performing a ritual before presenting Simba.

Simba grows up into a playful cub, with a rambunctious attitude. He grows excited about being king someday after Mufasa shows him the kingdom. Mufasa explains that Simba will one day rule over everything they can see, but warns Simba not to go to a shadowy area beyond the borders of the Pride Lands. Though Simba, initially believes that being king is about getting to do whatever he wishes, Mufasa teaches him about the responsibilities of royalty, just as Mufasa's majordomo Zazu arrives to give the morning report. Simba spots a bug and attempts to pouncing on it, but keeps missing. Mufasa notices and decides to give Simba a pouncing lesson by using Zazu as a target. Simba manages to pounce on Zazu, who is informed by a mole on hyenas being in the Pride Lands, to which Zazu passes this onto Mufasa, who tells Zazu to take Simba home. Simba asks Mufasa if he can come with him, but Mufasa replies that he can't. As he walks back to Pride Rock, Simba laments how he never gets to go anywhere, to which Zazu tells him that when he is king, he will be able to chase the hyenas from dawn until dusk.

After Simba returns home, he tells his uncle Scar about the trip. Scar questions Simba on if Mufasa showed him the rise upon the northern border, to which Simba says that Mufasa told him that he cannot go there. Scar replies that Mufasa is absolutely right and that only the bravest lions go there. Simba says that he is brave and asks what the place is, to which Scar replies that he can't say, only to let slip that it is an elephant graveyard and it is no place for a young prince. Scar then makes Simba promise not to visit the elephant graveyard. However, Simba wanting to prove himself brave, goes to find his best friend Nala and finds her being cleaned by her mother Sarafina, before Simba himself gets cleaned by Sarabi. Simba tells Nala about going to "a really cool place". Sarabi questions Simba about where the "really cool place" is, to which Simba says is the waterhole. When Nala questions what is so cool about the waterhole, Simba tells her that he will show her when they get there. Sarabi gives the cubs permission to go as long Zazu goes with them, much to their dismay. Unknown to them, Scar had placed his hyena henchmen Shenzi, Banzai and Ed there to kill the cubs, in an attempt to remove Simba from the line of succession so that Scar could become king. During the trip, the cubs learn from Zazu that they are betrothed and will be married one day, which both of them find disgusting and weird since they are best friends. They then lose Zazu in several animal herds (while singing "I Just Can't Wait To Be King") and continue to the graveyard. After successfully losing Zazu, Simba calls himself a genius for the plan, and argues with Nala when she says it was her idea. Simba playfully tackles Nala to make her admit he deserves credit, but she easily flips him, pins him down, and teases him "pinned ya", much to his shock. Simba pushes her off him, embarrassed over being easily beaten, and tries to tackle her again while she's distracted, but sends them both over a hill. While rolling down the hill, Nala laughs in amusement while Simba struggles to stay on top of her, until they reach the bottom and Nala once again flips and pins Simba in the same position as before. Smirking down at him she smugly teases him "pinned ya again", with him only able to glare at her in defeat. They then realize they wrestled right into the Elephant Graveyard and begin to explore, but Zazu arrives and tries to get the two cubs to return to The Pride Lands. However the trio are then ambushed by three hyenas, who capture Zazu and place him in a geyser that sends him flying out of the graveyard. Simba and Nala are then pursued by the hyenas and are eventually run into a dead end. Having been found by Zazu, Mufasa saves the two cubs, foiling Scar's plan. Mufasa takes Simba home, lecturing him on the danger he put himself and Nala in and he forgives and forgets. Afterwards, Simba asks if they will always be together. Mufasa responds by telling Simba about the Great Kings of the Past, who look down from the stars. Mufasa tells Simba if he ever feels alone, the Great Kings will always be there to guide him, and so will he.

The next day, Scar tells Simba that his father has a surprise for him. Scar leaves him in a deep gorge, telling the cub to "work on his little roar" and that the surprise is "to die for". Unbeknownst to Simba, the "surprise" was another plot of Scar's, with the goal of killing both Simba and Mufasa. Shenzi, Banzai and Ed drive a herd of wildebeest toward Simba. As Simba waits for Scar to return, he sees a chameleon and roars at it. Seconds later, the wildebeest run down the gorge towards Simba, causing the cub to run for his life. Having been informed by Scar of the situation, Mufasa comes to his son's aid. Mufasa travels through the stampede to rescue Simba and places him on a safe ledge, before being knocked back into the stampede by a wildebeest. Simba worries that his father is dead, before seeing him jump from the stampede and climb up a nearby ledge. Simba starts to climb up the ledge he is on to meet Mufasa at the top, only to look around and see Mufasa fall back into the stampede (unaware that he was thrown off the cliff by Scar). After the stampede is over, Simba finds Mufasa lying lifeless under a tree snd tries to wake him only to realise that he is dead. Simba is then joined by Scar who manipulates Simba into believing that Mufasa's death was his own fault (making him believe that his roar caused the stampede). Scar tells Simba to leave the kingdom, and secretly sends the hyenas to kill him. Simba is able to escape by leaping into a bed of thorns. Simba then runs far away from home.

After being stranded in a desert, he meets Timon, a meerkat, and Pumbaa, a warthog. The pair had saved him from death, and offered to let Simba stay with them, as Simba was an outcast like they were. They teach Simba about their life in the jungle, and about their motto "Hakuna Matata", which means "no responsibilities, no worries". Simba takes this to heart, and survives by eating bugs.

Years later, Simba has grown up into fairly carefree young adult lion but he is reminded of his father's death while he, Pumbaa, and Timon are stargazing. One day, Simba is called upon to save Pumbaa from a mysterious lioness. Simba lunges at the lioness and briefly pins her before she breaks free from his hold and they engage in a brief but fierce fight, with Timon cheering Simba on against the lioness. Despite his efforts, Simba loses the fight to the lioness when she flips him and slams him to the ground, pinning him. However, he discovers that the lioness is his old friend Nala, recongizing the move she used to pin him from when they were cubs. Though Nala is happy, as Simba being alive means that Simba can become king, Simba is hesitant, as he still feels guilt about Mufasa. After Simba and Nala spend time alone, they discover their friendship has blossomed into love. While alone, Simba takes Nala on a romantic tour of the jungle (during "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"), during which he playfully pulls her into the lake, chases her into the jungle and wrestles with her and finally manages to pin her. When Nala surprises him with an affectionate lick on the cheek the two gaze lovingly at each other and nuzzle together. However, Nala tries to get Simba to return with her to the Pride Lands. She tells him about Scar's tyrannical rule, but Simba still refuses. Only encounters with both Rafiki and the ghost of Mufasa are able to convince him to return, as Mufasa reminds him that he must accept his role in the Circle of Life and Rafiki demonstrates how you can either run from the past or learn from it.

Simba returns to the Pride Lands where he is horrified and angered when he discovers that the land has been destroyed during Scar's reign. As a result the herds have moved on, leaving the pride with no food or water. Simba heads to Pride Rock, followed by Nala, Pumbaa, and Timon who had joined Simba. While Timon and Pumbaa distract the hyenas, Simba goes to find Scar, while Nala rallies the lionesses. Simba reveals himself to his uncle after seeing Scar strike down Sarabi. Scar is fearful at first, but is able to force Simba to admit guilt in Mufasa's death before forcing Simba over the edge of Pride Rock. As Simba hangs on for dear life, Scar declares that the scene looks familiar to him and says that this is just the way Mufasa looked before he died. Scar then grabs Simba's paws and sinks his claws into them (just like he did to Mufasa) before revealing "his little secret", that he killed Mufasa, not Simba. Simba is angered now realizing Scar was completely a big liar and he jumps back up and pins Scar down calling him a murderer and demands him to tell the truth to the pride. But Scar tries to weasel out of the situation, but when Simba starts to choke him, Scar admits his actions. Alongside the lionesses and his friends, Simba leads a battle against Scar.

Simba manages to get Scar on his own on top of Pride Rock, where the latter pleads for his life by claiming that the hyenas are the real enemy and it was their fault that Mufasa died. Despite not believing his uncle's claims, Simba choose not to kill Scar and instead orders him to leave the Pride Lands and to never return. At first, Scar appears to submit to Simba, but then throws embers into his nephew's eyes before attacking him. After a short fight, Simba is knocked to the ground by Scar, who dives in for the killing blow. Luckily, Simba acts fast, and using Nala's pinning move that she always used on him, kicks his uncle over the ledge they are on. Simba then watches on as Scar is consumed by his hyena henchmen, who had heard him blame them for his own actions.

By the time the land is restored to its former glory, Simba has taken his rightful place as king. He married Nala, and the two have their own cub, who is presented to the kingdom in a similar manner to how Simba was presen in the beginning of the film.

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
In The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Simba is now a mature adult and he and Nala have a daughter, Kiara. Though he's shown to be a loving father, he's also concerned and over-protective of Kiara, due to his experiences as a cub. One day Simba lets his daughter out to play with Timon and Pumbaa to watch her. Unknown to Simba, Timon and Pumbaa begin to argue about bugs and Kiara slips away from them unnoticed.

Kiara ends up crossing over into the Outlands where she meets Kovu, an Outsider cub whose pride was exiled by Simba because of their loyalty to Scar. The two befriend each other until Simba leaps in to confront Zira, Kovu’s mother, who was watching the two cubs. After the confrontation, Simba talks with Kiara and explains to her that they "are one."

When Kiara is an adolescent, she heads out into the Pride Lands for her first hunt. Simba, despite promising Kiara that he would let her hunt alone, sends Timon and Pumbaa out to keep a close watch on her again. While Kiara is hunting, Simba paces nervously at Pride Rock as Zazu assures him that Kiara will be fine. He then notices smoke from a wildfire, and sends Zazu ahead to find Kiara as he rallies the pride. Simba and Nala soon find Kiara alive and well with another lion. Kiara is annoyed at Simba for not keeping his word, but Simba replies that it was a good thing he did as he almost lost her. Out of fear of losing Kiara again, Simba tells her that she will not be hunting again. When Kiara reveals that the other lion is Kovu, Simba reacts in anger. Simba is then informed by Rafiki that Kovu saved Kiara. When Kovu states that he wishes to join the Pridelanders, Simba refuses as Kovu was banished along with the other Outsiders. Kovu replies that he has left the Outsiders and is now a rogue, before telling Simba to judge him now for who he is or blame him for a crime he did not commit. As Simba ponders, Nala says that he owes Kovu Kiara's life. Zazu agrees as Pride Lands law states that debts must be repaid. Simba agrees to these laws but says he will place judgement on Kovu and when the pride returns to Pride Rock, he makes Kovu sleep outside the cave out of distrust. Soon after when Kiara and Kovu talk, Simba calls for Kiara to come inside, to which she does, but not before arranging with Kovu to have a hunting lesson. Unknown to Simba, Kovu has been sent by Zira to infiltrate the pride in order to kill Simba and replace him as king in order to avenge Scar's death.

That night, Simba has a nightmare about trying to save Mufasa from falling into the stampede, but Scar appears and stops Simba from saving his father by grabbing hold of his left paw, which is clinging onto the cliff and tells Simba to trust him. After Mufasa falls off the cliff, Simba lets out a cry of sadness before angrily turning to face Scar, who morphs into Kovu and throwns Simba off the cliff. Simba wakes up in shock and looks around for Kovu, but does not see him and goes back to sleep. The next morning, Simba leaves Pride Rock and goes to a waterhole to drink, unaware that Kovu is watching him and prepares to attack him, only to be interupted by Kiara, who has come for the hunting lesson. Kovu looks back at the waterhole, only to find that Simba has left. Later that night, Simba watches as Kiara and Kovu stargaze and grow close. He then looks up at the sky and asks Mufasa for guidence. Just then, Nala arrives and convinces him to get to known Kovu. After Kiara and Kovu return to Pride Rock, Simba decides to take Nala's advice and allows Kovu to sleep inside with the rest of the pride.

Sometime later, Simba sees Kovu about to talk to Kiara and says that he does not want Kiara to talk to Kovu, but he does. Kiara smiles that this, to which Simba winks back at her. Simba and Kovu walk through the Pride Lands and reach the area damanged by the fire. Simba tells Kovu the real story about Scar and says that what's left behind can grow better than the generation before, if given a chance. Suddenly, Zira and the other Outsiders arrive with Zira congratulates Kovu for leading Simba to them, automatically reigniting Simba's distrust in Kovu. Kovu tries to convince Simba that he had nothing to do with the attack, and even tries to protect Simba, but is knocked down by his sister Vitani. Simba is injured but climbs up a log dam to safety, causing a few logs to fall on Kovu's brother Nuka, who tried to stop him from getting away and he dies from his injuries. Simba limps back to the Pride Lands and is spotted by Kiara, Timon, Pumbaa and Zazu. Kiara sends Zazu to get help as she and Timon and Pumbaa approach Simba. When questioned on what happened, Simba spurts out Kovu and Ambush, before collapsing. He then helped back to Pride Rock by Timon and Pumbaa.

Simba is next seen back at Pride Rock with Nala and Kiara at his side. Kiara tells Simba that what he said about Kovu cannot be true, just as Kovu (now bearing a scar after Zira scratched him and blamed him for Nuka's death) returns. Kiara goes to greet him, but is stopped by Simba, who confronts Kovu for returning. Kovu tells Simba that he had nothing to do with the ambush, but Simba doesn't believe him and states that Kovu doesn't belong in the Pride Lands. Kiara pleads with Simba to listen to Kovu, but he tells her to be silent. Simba then says that when Kovu first came here, he asked for judgement and Simba says he will pass now and exiles Kovu. Kiara is distraught at this decision, and pleads with her father to reconsider, only for Simba to reply that she will not go anywhere without an escort from now on. When Kiara protests at this, Simba claims that Kovu used her just to get to him and that he's following Scar's paw prints and Simba himself must follow his father's (unaware that Mufasa had wanted Kiara and Kovu to be together). Kiara angrily defies her father saying to him, "You will never be Mufasa!" causing Simba to hurt immensely, and looks away from Kiara to his father who turned away disappointed at his actions as she runs into Pride Rock in tears. That night, Simba goes into Pride Rock and is informed by Timon and Pumbaa that Kiara is gone (having left to find Kovu). Just then, Zazu arrives and announces that the Outsiders have initiated a war. Simba heads out to fight with his lionesses and Timon and Pumbaa and send Zazu to find Kiara. Before the battle begins in earnest Simba offers Zira a chance to surrender and leave peacefully which the lioness, determined to see her goals to fruition, rejects. At this point Simba leads the charge against the Outsiders.

After a lengthy battle, Simba and Zira confront each other directly. Kiara and Kovu leap into the middle of the confrontation, and Kiara tells Simba that both sides "are one". Simba understands his daughter's wisdom and they nuzzle in reconciliation as his father shines a beacon of sunlight upon him. The Outsiders, after learning of their leader's true nature when she threatens to kill a defecting Vitani, abandon Zira entirely and join the Pridelanders. Simba says to Zira to let go of her hatred much as he has so peace may come between them though she is too overcome with hate to accept his understanding. Zira, enraged, tries to leap at Simba when the clamoring from the log dam distracts him only to be knocked aside by Kiara. The two lionesses tumble into the gorge, which is now full of raging water from the damaged log dam. Simba climbs down the cliff to reach Kiara and is alerted by Nala of the water bursting from the dam. Zira, despite Kiara's offers of aid, slips and falls to her death in the swollen river below. Simba finally reaches Kiara and takes her paw and pulls her up.

After Simba and Kiara climb back up to safety, Kovu goes to Kiara and nuzzles her in relief. Simba watches on before approaching Kovu and admitting that he was wrong about him and that he did belong with the Pridelanders. He then calls for both the Pridelanders and Outsiders to return to Pride Rock together. The united pride heads back to Pride Rock where Kiara and Kovu are married. In celebration, Simba, Nala, Kiara and Kovu walk up to the promontory of Pride Rock and roar out across the kingdom, along with the rest of the pride, and the rest of the animals of the Pridelands celebrate. In the sky, Mufasa congratulates his son, "Well done, my son. We are one."

The Lion King 1½ In the 2004 direct-to-video interquel The Lion King 1½, Simba appears as a supporting protagonist. He briefly appears in the movie's opening with the unveiling ceremony where the animals are bowing, although unknown to Mufasa or Rafiki, the real reason they were bowing is because Timon forced Pumbaa to fart in order to clear the crowd, and they were trying as best as they could to block out the stench. More is revealed about Simba's life in the jungle with Timon and Pumbaa after his exile.

Trivia

 * Simba is constantly believed to be the second film's deuteragonist. However though, he functions as the tritagonist, while the title of deuteragonist goes to Kovu, his son in law.
 * Simba, alongside with Timon and Pumbaa, is one of the most popular characters in the movie.
 * Simba has influences from William Shakespeare's Hamlet as well as Bambi and Littlefoot from Don Bluth's The Land Before Time.
 * In the original script to The Lion King, Simba had three aunts; Naanda, Diku, and Dwala and would have been Nala's cousin (due to her being Naanda's daughter). However their relationship would have been incest, so they were changed to friends and Naanda became Sarabi's friend Sarafina and Diku and Dwala were dropped.
 * Simba was originally going to have dark fur like Sarabi. However, it was later decided that he should take after Mufasa instead.
 * Simba's name literally means "lion" in Swahili.
 * In The Lion King comic "An Unusual Choir", reveals that Scar isn't the only relative Simba has besides his parents, as in the comic, he is shown that he has another uncle (who has a resemblance to Mufasa), an aunt (who resembles Sarabi) and two young cousins.
 * Simba was inspired by Prince Hamlet, the main character of William Shakespeare's play "Hamlet".
 * Both are princes.
 * Both their fathers (Mufasa and King Hamlet) are killed by their uncles (Scar and Claudius), who then take over as King.
 * Both are visited by the ghost of their father.
 * In the early drafts of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Simba was meant to have two cubs: a son named Chaka (who was meant to be the cub seen at the end of the first film) and a daughter named Shani (who would eventually become Kiara). However, Chaka was cut from the film as he made it too complicated.
 * Though not outright mentioned, it is revealed in The Lion Guard episode "Paintings and Predictions" that Simba had a great-uncle who led The Lion Guard that saved Nala's father after he fell from a tree as a cub.