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“ | These lands belong to Scar. | „ |
~ Zira's most famous line. |
“ | Lions over all. No animal is more grand. | „ |
~ Zira singing "Lions Over All". |
“ | A symphony of death, oh my. That's my lullaby! | „ |
~ Zira singing about how the war with the Pridelanders will go. |
Zira is the secondary antagonist in Disney's The Lion King franchise. She is the main antagonist both of Disney's 1998 animated film The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (the sequel to Disney's 32nd full-length animated feature film The Lion King), and the The Lion Guard (which serves as a midquel to the first film) episode "Lions of the Outlands" and later the posthumous overarching antagonist for the series finale "Return to the Pride Lands".
She is Nuka, Vitani, and Kovu's mother, Kiara's mother-in-law and archenemy, the leader of the Outsiders, and Scar's most loyal follower.
In The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Zira was voiced by the late Suzanne Pleshette, who also played Dr. Rachel Walters in A Twist of the Knife, and Yubaba in Spirited Away. In The Lion Guard, she was voiced by Nika Futterman, who also played Asajj Ventress in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Silhouette in Destroy All Humans!, and Catwoman in Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
Description[]
Appearance[]
Zira is a thin tan lioness with a darker dorsal stripe going down her head. Her eyes are red, but appear blue in certain lights. Like Scar, she has black claws that are always bared and never retracted. Her black nose is angular and and she has a notch of unknown origin in her right ear. She has a wiry grin when she smiles. On her chin she has small tuft of fur, which juts outwards, unlike Scar's, which is inwards.
Personality[]
Zira is unusually rich in spirit, but her soul is steeped in hatred. She cannot come to terms with her past and is even ready to give up her cubs for the sake of revenge. Deep inside though, she genuinely does care for them – like any caring mother, she will defend her children; even mourning for Nuka after he was crushed to death by the logs. However, she will not tolerate failure or disobedience. After Kovu started to fall in love with Kiara, Zira's love for her youngest son ended and since then, she has loathed Kovu for his last decision. She was also subsequently addicted to revenge that when she faced death, she refused support and fell to her demise out of fury.
Her many years in the Outlands have made her sensitive to Simba's mention and considerably short-tempered. Even when dealing with her young children, barely more than cubs, she is prone to bouts of furious anger and raving, which reveals that even years of separation from Simba can do nothing to soften her grudge. If wrong is done to Zira, she will not rest until it is made right, making a lifelong enemy of Simba and an enemy of her own son when he accidentally lets Nuka die. With a grudge in mind, Zira can become obsessed, refusing to rest until justice is served, even if the time to strike takes many years of long waiting.
Zira is also shown to be an extraordinary actress, being able to act kind and understanding in order to sway people to her side. Zira is also a xenophobic racist, as she hates hyenas (even in unawareness that they are who crucified Scar instead of Simba, who she held accountable for, though hyenas are the natural rivals of lions), firmly believing that lions are superior to all of the other animals and must rule them through force and threat therefore. Also, she seems to be somewhat faint-hearted and timid, as she once begged Kion not to use the Roar of the Elders against her and the Outlanders by reminding him that they are his kind, only for an aggravated Kion to use it anyway to drive Zira and her clan away into a termite mound.
Zira's most noticeable trait is her fierce faithfulness to Scar, although many of her fellow lionesses suffered during his reign and nearly starved thanks to the overhunting of the Hyena Clan. Even after his demise, Zira still considered Scar her king and accused Simba of his defeat. Due to her faithfulness, Scar chose Zira's youngest son named Kovu to be his successor. However, after having claimed his rightful place on the throne, Simba exiled Zira and her family from the Pride Lands, due to them still being faithful to Scar. However, although she is willing to do whatever it takes to take over the Pride Lands, it was Zira's love for her family that kept her from becoming just like Scar.
Biography[]
Backstory[]
Zira and her three children named Nuka, Vitani, and Kovu lived in the Pride Lands's pride during the reign of Scar, who had a close relationship with Zira and told her about the Roar of the Elders (a power that he previously had before losing it due to using it to destroy his fellow Lion Guard members after they refused to help him overthrow his brother Mufasa as King). Zira quickly became Scar's most loyal follower, rallying several lionesses into swearing loyalty to him. As a reward for her loyalty, Scar also named Zira's youngest cub Kovu his successor to the throne.
However, Scar's nephew and the Pride Lands's rightful heir Simba returned to Pride Rock (having encouraged by Rafiki and his late father) and defeated Scar, knocking him into a pit where he was eaten alive by his betrayed hyena henchmen for blaming them for Mufasa's death and his broken promises. When Simba asserted that Scar was never the true King, Zira furiously attacked him. After emerging victorious, Simba, left with no other choice, banished Zira, her children and the other lionesses who were loyal to Scar to the Outlands as punishment.
Holding him responsible for Scar's demise, Zira vowed revenge on Simba, swearing that he will fall and that Kovu will become the new King.
Confronting Simba Again[]
Zira is first seen near the border between the Outlands and The Pride Lands watching Kovu talking to Simba's daughter Kiara. Just then, Simba arrives and steps in front of Kiara and roars at Kovu. Zira comes to Kovu's defense and roars at Simba and prepares to fight him, only to see that he is accompanied by his wife Nala, his friends Timon and Pumbaa and two lionesses. Timon tells Zira to get out of "their" Pride Lands, to which Zira replies "Your Pride Lands?" and roars at Timon. Zira then declares that these belong to Scar. Simba reminds Zira that he banished her from The Pride Lands and tells her and Kovu to get out.
Zira tells Simba that Kovu was hand chosen by Scar to follow in his paw prints and become king and that Kovu was also the last born before Simba banished Scar's followers to the Outlands where there is lack of food and little water. Simba is unmoved by Zira's statement and says that she knows the penalty for returning to The Pride Lands. Zira replies that Kovu does not know the penalty and offers Kovu to Simba to face the penalty. Knowing that he couldn't bring himself to hurt a cub, Simba tells Zira to take Kovu and get out, stating that they are finished here, before picking Kiara. Zira replies that they've barely begun and glares sinisterly at Kiara before picking up Kovu and leaving.
Upon returning to The Outlands, Zira scolds Nuka for not keeping an eye on Kovu, who comes to his brother's defense, stating that he went by himself. Zira questions Kovu on who made them Outsiders and killed Scar, to which Kovu replies that it was Simba. Kovu then says that he thought that he and Kiara could be friends. At first, Zira scoffs at this, but then realizes that if Kovu befriended Kiara, he could earn Simba's trust and be able to kill him. Zira congratulates Kovu and says that he has conniving mind that made Scar so powerful. When Nuka responds in disgust at the statement, Zira snares angrily at him before taking Kovu to bed. Zira states that she can now see the path to their glorious return to power. When Kovu expresses reluctance at taking part in the plan, Zira silences him and says that tomorrow, his training intensifies and sings about her plan through "My Lullaby".
Meeting Kion[]
A few months later, Zira encroaches on the section of the Outlands belonging to a clan of hyenas. Simba's son Kion enters the Outlands, accompanied by Jasiri (who is a member of the hyena clan Zira drove out) and is brought to Zira by Nuka and Kovu, who inform her that Kion is Simba's son and is also told by Jasiri that he is leader of the Lion Guard. Zira welcomes Kion to the Outlands and introduces him to Vitani.
Zira questions Kion on why he does not use the Roar of the Elders on a cloud to give Jasiri water. Confused, Kion roars at a small cloud, which makes it rain, and Zira tells Kion she is familiar with the Roar of the Elders. Taking Kion aside, Zira tells Kion that lions are the best rulers. She tells Kion that using the Roar against other lions would make him lose the roar, and she convinces him to stay with her. But the Outsiders began circling Kion, Zira tells Kion that she once knew someone with the Roar and when he used it against his fellow lions, he lost it, causing Kion to realize that Zira is talking about Scar. Zira tells Kion that she and Scar were close and that he told her about the Roar and says that if it hadn't been for Simba, Scar would still be King. When Kion replies that Scar wasn't the true King, Zira leaves him surrounded by the Outsiders with the choice: being with them or against them, before going to fetch her children.
Later, when Kion is rescued by the Lion Guard, they tell Kion that the reason Scar lost his roar was because it was used for evil and not against lions. As such, Kion angrily confronts Zira with the truth and attempts to use the Roar to blast Zira and her pride away. Zira is horrified by this and attempts to remind Kion fearfully that they're still lions, but Kion angrily ignores her and uses the Roar to blast Zira and her pride (with the exception of Kovu, who dodges the blast before running after his family shortly afterwards) away, leaving them to land near a termite mound, similar to the one depicted in Simba's Pride.
Zira's Revenge[]
Years later, Zira declares that an adolescent Kovu is ready to carry out the plan and he is accepted into the Pride Lands after saving Kiara from a destructive wildfire (which was started by Nuka and Vitani). It turns out that Zira planned for Nuka and Vitani to start the wildfire in order for Kovu to rescue Kiara to gain Simba's reluctant trust, so that Kovu can lure him into a trap.
However, Kovu starts to fall in love with Kiara, and starts to have second thoughts, even after being told by Simba and Kiara about Scar's true nature, his act of murdering Mufasa and his death by the jaws of Shenzi, Banzai and Ed for his treachery against them. One night, Zira is informed by Vitani that whilst in The Pride Lands, she saw Kovu and Simba together at Pride Rock, but Kovu did not attack him. An outraged Zira declares that Kovu cannot betray them.
One day, when Simba and Kovu go out for a walk, Zira and the Outsiders ambush them with Zira congratulating Kovu for getting Simba alone just as they had planned but Kovu denies having anything to do with it. Simba was able to escape, but during the process, Nuka dies after being crushed by logs when pursuing Simba, much to Zira's shock. After mourning for Nuka, Zira lashes out at Kovu and strikes him in the face, making Kovu yelp in pain. When Kovu looks back up at her, Zira is shocked to see that she had scratched Kovu's left eye in the process, leaving a scar over it like Scar's. After getting over her shock, Zira angrily calls out Kovu for betraying his pride and Scar for doing nothing to kill Simba. When Kovu stands up to Zira and says that he wants nothing more to do with Scar (having been told about his true nature by Simba), Zira replies that Kovu cannot escape it and says that Nuka is dead because of him. After Kovu storms off, Zira tells Vitani and the other Outsiders that Simba has corrupted Kovu and they shall take his kingdom by force.
That night, Zira and the Outsiders arrive (unknown to Zira, they are discovered by Jasiri and Janja, who head to the Tree of Life to warn Kion and his Lion Guard of her intentions) and battle Simba and the Pridelanders. Just as Zira and Simba are about to deliver the final blow to each other, Kiara and Kovu arrive to put a stop to the battle. Zira tells Kovu to get out of the way, but he refuses by saying that he will not let her harm Kiara or Simba while he is here. Kiara manages to convince Simba to give up the feud by saying the prides should be together and must put their differences aside for the future of the Pride Lands, which inspires both prides. Unperturbed, Zira orders Vitani to attack them, but Vitani, realizing that Kiara is telling the truth, refuses and turns against Zira, who vows to kill her if she won't fight.
However, this causes the Outsiders, who are shocked and disgusted by such a threat, to turn against Zira and join the Pridelanders, much to her objections. Simba tells Zira that it's time to put the past behind them, but Zira refuses to let go of the past and in a last attempt to avenge Scar, leaps to attack Simba only to be knocked down a cliff by Kiara. Zira is able to cling onto the side but refuses Kiara's help, not wanting to be saved by the daughter of her most hated enemy, and loses grip and falls screaming to her death in a fast-flowing river below, much to Kovu's dismay.
Post-Mortem[]
Despite Zira's death, her original plan to have Kovu as the new King is most likely to succeed, fulfilling Scar's wish, but not in the way she expected as Kovu wants to carry on Simba's legacy, which inspired a touched Simba to accept Kovu as his son-in-law and future successor.
When The Lion Guard returns from the trip to The Tree of Life after hearing about Zira's return, they meet Kovu, Kiara and Vitani who are now directing a new Lion Guard and telling them that Zira is dead. A rock painting of Zira reciting the story of the second film are shown next.
Other Media[]
The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure[]
Zira appears in 2000 video game The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure as one of the two bosses (the other being Scar) where she battles Simba and roar that would cause rocks and logs to fall towards Simba which he has to dodge before finally defeating her. She was voiced by Grey DeLisle.
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Kovu (youngest son)
- Vitani (daughter)
- Nuka (eldest son) †
- Kiara (daughter-in-law)
Allies[]
- Outsiders (formerly)
- Scar
- Nuka
- Vitani (formerly)
- Kovu (formerly)
Enemies[]
- Kiara (archenemy)
- Kovu
- Simba
- Nala
- Mufasa
- Pridelanders
- Outsiders
- Animals of the Pride Lands
- Zazu
- Rafiki
- Pumbaa
- Timon
- Vitani
- Kion
- The Lion Guard
- Jasiri
Quotes[]
“ | Oh, haven't you met my son Kovu? He was hand-chosen by Scar to follow in his paw prints and become King. | „ |
~ Zira to Simba. |
“ | Oh no, Simba. We have barely begun. | „ |
~ Zira rebuffing Simba's demand that they're finished in their feud. |
“ | You were suppose to be WATCHING HIM!! | „ |
~ Zira lashing out at her son Nuka for neglecting his babysitting duties with a young Kovu. |
“ | What were you doing!? [Kovu: Nothing!] Who has made us outsiders?! [Kovu: Simba!] Who killed Scar? [Kovu: Simba!] What have I told you ABOUT THEM!? | „ |
~ Zira to Kovu about his encounter with Kiara and her father Simba. |
“ | Friends? You thought that you could get to the daughter and then Simba would welcome you with open arms? (sarcastically) What an idea. (realizing the plan could work) What an idea! You brilliant child—I'm so proud of you. You have the same conniving mind that made Scar so... powerful. | „ |
~ Zira realizing that she could use Kovu's friendship with Kiara to get to Simba. |
“ | You are ready. Nice...very nice. You have the same blackness in your soul that Scar had. | „ |
~ Zira to Young Adult Kovu. |
“ | Well done, Kovu. Just like we've always planned. | „ |
~ Zira and the Outlanders praising Kovu for fulfilling his role in their plan, making Simba believe that Kovu led him into their trap. |
“ | Scar....watch over my poor Nuka. | „ |
~ Zira mourning the loss of her son Nuka with the other Outlanders. |
“ | YOU! What have you done?! | „ |
~ Zira to Kovu minutes before she scratches him across the face, leaving him with a scar |
“ | Exactly! And in doing so, you betrayed your pride. Betrayed Scar! | „ |
~ Zira berating Kovu for betraying the Outsiders and Scar. |
“ | Nuka is dead because of you. YOU'VE KILLED YOUR OWN BROTHER! | „ |
~ Zira blaming Kovu for Nuka's death |
“ | Let him go! Simba has hurt me for the last time. Now, he has corrupted Kovu. Listen to me. Simba is injured and weak. NOW is the time to attack! We will take his entire kingdom BY FORCE! | „ |
~ Zira addressing Vitani and the other Outsiders after Kovu runs off. |
“ | It's over, Simba! I have dreamed of nothing else for years! | „ |
~ Zira to Simba before the Pridelander-Outsider battle |
“ | You're even weaker than I thought. Get out of the way! | „ |
~ Zira to Kovu when he and Kiara stop her and Simba from fighting. |
“ | If you will not fight, then you will die as well. | „ |
~ Zira to Vitani after she joins the Pridelanders. |
“ | I'll never let it go! This is for you, Scar! | „ |
~ Zira's last words before her death. |
“ | It's your choice, Kion. With me. Or against me. But if you're against me... You'll never leave the Outlands. | „ |
~ Zira threatens Kion. |
“ | Zira: Scar and I were close. Very close. He taught me all about the Roar! If it weren't for your father, he'd still be King of the Pride Lands. Kion: Scar was never the true King! Zira: How dare you!! |
„ |
~ Zira expressing that she knew Scar personally in Kion. |
“ | This is your last chance, Kion! | „ |
~ Zira forcing Kion to join her. |
“ | So... A Lion Guard with just one lion. Pathetic! | „ |
~ Zira insulting the Lion Guard. |
Trivia[]
- In Swahili, "Zira" means "hate". Given that she is a hateful lioness, it is perfectly fitting.
- Originally, as Zira was hanging for dear life and Kiara offered to help her, Zira refused her help and let go, committing suicide. Instead, it is left ambiguous as to why she fell, as suicide was considered too dark for a Disney animated film.
- Zira was originally going to be called Bianca. Presumably, it was changed to "Zira" for not being primarily a Swahili name. That, and possibly to avoid confusion with another Disney character, Miss Bianca, from “the rescuers”
- In the film and in Lions of the Outlands, Zira blames Simba for Scar's death. It is known whether or not she is aware of the hyenas' part in Scar's demise
- It is odd that she is so loyal to Scar, as during Scar's reign, the Pride Lands suffered from no food and water and he didn't do anything about it and all the lionesses present during the events of the first film were loyal to Mufasa and Simba and fought beside Simba against Scar. However it is revealed in The Lion Guard that she and Scar were very close and that he told her about the Roar of the Elders. This perfectly supports contradiction to the events of the first film and squares with why she is so loyal to Scar.
- She is the second of two Disney Villains to show love and care for his/her family, the first being Sir Ector from Disney's 1963 animated film, The Sword in the Stone.
- When Kovu's training is being reviewed, the notch in Zira's ear switches sideways to the other ear. This is considered a film goof.
- In the original script to The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Zira was Scar's mate and mother of his son Nunka who would seduce Simba's daughter, Aisha (a working name for Kiara). However this would have caused incest as Nunka would have been Simba's first cousin and Aisha's first cousin once removed, so Nunka was renamed Kovu and became Zira's direct lineage, and relationship to Scar was obscured to make her "just a follower."
- Bette Midler and Helen Mirren were considered for the role of Zira. Bette Midler previously played a villain before she was considered for the role: Bette Midler also played Winifred "Winnie" Sanderson in Disney's Hocus Pocus.
- Zira, Sa'Luk, Jafar, and Maestro Forte are the four only Disney Villains of a sequel to die at the climax. She is also the last Disney Villain of a sequel to die at the climax.
- When Zira tells Jasiri to leave, she says it the same way as Scar when he told Simba to leave the Pride Lands forever.
- She looks very similar to the Strange Lion from The Lion Guard, especially when it comes to their eyes and the stripe on their foreheads, this has caused theories that he might be Zira's father. However, there is a contradiction to this theory, while Zira was born in the Pride Lands, the Strange Lion was not.
- A painting of Zira is seen in the Lair of the Lion Guard in "Cave of Secrets".
- Her death is similar to Ushari as they both die trying to avenge Scar.
External Links[]
- Zira on the Villains Wiki
- Zira on the Near Pure Evil Wiki
- Zira on the Disney Wiki
- Zira on the Lion King Wiki
- Zira on the Lion Guard Wiki
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