The relationships of Simba with the other characters of The Lion King franchise.
Romance
Nala
Simba's best friend since they were cubs, the two were nearly inseparable. Unknown to them, they were betrothed at an early age, and both agreed that friends marrying each other was too weird. They got into many adventures, but when they were being chased by the hyenas, Shenzi was about to kill Nala and Simba saved her. Simba and Nala nearly died when the hyenas were after them they were trapped. Simba let out a feeble roar, but then, Simba and Nala were saved by Mufasa. Nala was heartbroken when Scar claimed that Simba died with Mufasa in the wildebeest stampede. As young adults, Nala was the lioness who brought Simba back to Pride Rock to put an end to Scar's tyranny. In the midst of all this, they finally realized their friendship had grown into a romantic relationship, and eventually marriage as originally intended. As mature adults, Simba and Nala continue their loving relationship, ruling the Pride Lands as King and Queen and raising their two cubs Kiara and Kion. As the Queen of Pride Rock, Nala often acts as a voice of reason for Simba, trying to get him to see the light when his protective judgment get the best of him.
Family
Mufasa
Mufasa is Simba's father, as well as the king of the Pride Lands. Simba and Mufasa had a strong father-son relationship, Simba looked up to Mufasa in every way, aspiring to become just like him. Mufasa has high expectations for his son to succeed him, so he taught Simba the proper conduct in times of danger and as a king, and discourages him from taking foolish risks as well as appreciating all lives. Simba spent all the time he wasn't with Nala with his father, and Mufasa showed him how to be a good ruler.
Mufasa's love for his son is very deep, as shown when he saved him from the hyenas and has no hesitation to jump into the wildebeest stampede to save Simba despite knowing how dangerous it is. When his father was killed in the stampede, Simba was grief-stricken, believing it to be his own fault and went into self-exile. His father's death kept haunting him until Mufasa's spiritual guidance eventually convinced Simba years later to reclaim the throne stolen from him by his diabolical brother.
Even after his father's death, Mufasa’s memory still infleunces Simba’s life. Becoming a father himself, Simba takes methods from Mufasa's parenting, scolding his daughter Kiara for disobeying him and going to the Outlands before giving her a tender lesson (which parallels when he disobeyed his own father and went to the Elephant Graveyard), and being patient with his son Kion's initial rowdy behavior. After becoming the king, Simba desires to live up to his father's legacy. Several of Simba's actions are based on what he thinks his father would've approved of and done. After Simba has accepted the Outsiders into the Pride Lands, Mufasa’s spirit is heard to be very proud of him for his noble decision.
Sarabi
Sarabi is Simba's mother, as well as the queen of the Pride Lands. Sarabi and Simba have a loving mother-son relationship, she having much pride in him, and like Mufasa, tried to teach him proper conduct and groomed him for his future as the king. She was also protective of him, ensuring that Simba didn't run off to where he could get himself into trouble. Along with Scar manipulating him into believing he caused his father’s death, Simba also fled the Pride Lands too ashamed to face his mother. Years later in his adulthood, Simba was visibly hesitant at the thought of seeing his mother again when Nala found him. When Simba finally returned to save his home, he watched in horror as Scar berated his mother. When Scar struck her down in a fit of rage, Simba immediately revealed himself and came to her defense. Sarabi is elated to see her son was still alive and fights on his side to overthrow Scar's tyranny and the hyenas. After the battle is won, she lovingly nuzzles him before proudly watching him ascend to the throne as the rightful king of Pride Rock and the Pride Lands.
Scar
Simba: "Scar"!
Scar: "That’s right, Simba. Never thought you’d see me again."
| Simba and Scar
Scar is Simba's uncle. As a cub, Simba loved his uncle and would always tell him of his adventures, treating him like a good family member should. Despite finding his uncle weird at times, Simba apparently viewed and looked up to Scar as a second father-figure. However, unbeknownst to Simba, Scar actually harbored hatred for him and never seemed to be even remotely interested in his stories, due to jealousy of his nephew's status as next in line for the throne. His hatred and jealousy were so strong that Scar has no hesitation in plotting to kill Simba, tricking him into going to the Elephant Graveyard so Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed could kill him. After this attempt failed, Scar led Simba into a deep gorge, where, with help from the hyenas, caused a wildebeest stampede in the gorge to kill both Simba and Mufasa. When Simba survived, Scar cruelly took advantage of his young nephew's grief over losing his father into believing that Mufasa's death was Simba's own fault and further enforced guilt trip on Simba to convince him to run away before ordering the hyenas to go and kill Simba again.
Years later, as an adult, Simba, initially believing his uncle better suited as king, is shocked to learn of Scar's tyranny when told by Nala that he allowed the hyenas to run rampant in the Pride Lands. Seeing the devastation of the Pride Lands under his uncle’s rule firsthand and later witnessing him strike his mother, Simba became incredibly angry at Scar to the point of threatening to "rip him apart". Despite all this, he seemed to still hold some semblance of love for his uncle, as he gave him a chance to step down from the throne peacefully and even continued to believe Scar's claim that he was the one responsible for his father's death. However, when Scar arrogantly admitted to to his nephew that he was the one who murdered Mufasa, all love Simba had for Scar vanished completely and turned into burning hatred, giving him the strength he needed to fight back. After cornering Scar atop Pride Rock, Simba deemed him undeserving to live after all of his crimes and refused to heed any more of his lies. Despite his newfound hatred, Simba still spared his uncle's life, not out of love, but simply because he did not wish to become the monster he was, and decided to exile him instead, only fighting back when Scar refused to cooperate.
Years after Scar's death, Simba still hasn't forgotten everything Scar put him through and swore to spare his family and the Pride Lands from another such tragedy. He was pleased when his son Kion, succeeding Scar as leader of the Lion Guard, vehemently refused to become like Scar after being told of his great-uncle's crimes. When Scar returned in spirit form, Simba again confronted his evil uncle and refused to let him destroy everything once again. This new conflict lasted for many seasons until Scar's astral form was destroyed by Kion, but at the cost of his son receiving a facial wound similar to the evil lion and being forced to leave the Pride Lands to seek a cure before he could be corrupted like Scar was.
His hatred for Scar still persists that it extended to the Outsiders, a group of lionesses that were led by Zira, who were loyal followers of Scar. Simba was especially distrustful of Kovu, who not only bore striking resemblance to Scar, but was also personally handpicked by the latter to become his successor. However, it is implied that maybe Simba is trying to forgive his uncle for his actions because when he takes a walk with Kovu, he simply says that Scar couldn't let go of his hate and in the end, it destroyed him. From how Kiara spoke of Scar and Kion ultimately chose to forgive him, Simba was not emotionally biased when he told them of Scar, allowing his children to form their own views of their great-uncle.
In the end, with help from Kiara, Simba is able to let go of his hatred for Scar’s followers and welcomes them back into the Pride Lands with open arms, including Kovu. While it is unknown if Simba has let go of his hatred for Scar himself, he is no longer controlled by it and has since put his tragic past behind him so that peace and a better life may come for him, his family, friends, and kingdom. It is also worth noting that by accepting Kovu, Scar’s heir and adopted son, as his son-in-law and future successor, he has knowingly fulfilled his uncle’s dying wish.
Kiara
Kiara is Simba's daughter. They have a loving father-daughter relationship. Simba tries his best to protect Kiara, but the headstrong lioness doesn't always heed his orders, shown to stray from the path that her father marked for her and even entering the Outlands even after Simba warning her about it. As Kiara reminds him of when he was a cub, Simba became overprotective of Kiara, resulting in him sending Timon and Pumbaa to watch over her and immediately and initially disapproved of her friendship with Kovu is an Outsider. However, this similarity also helps him be patient when disciplining her.
Simba's overprotectiveness still remains even after Kiara reached adolescence, still seeing her as a cub that needs a constant watch that he secretly sent Pumbaa and Timon to watch her first hunt even though he had promised her he'll let her hunt alone. Simba even forbids her to go on anymore hunts after Kiara nearly died in a brush fire set by Vitani and Nuka. He became more worried after Kiara starts spending more time with and fell for Kovu who had joined their pride as he is distrustful of Kovu due to his status as Scar's heir, but owned Kovu his debt for saving Kiara. When Simba nearly got killed in ambush set by Zira that Kovu didn't see coming, Simba forbade Kiara from so much as leaving his sight, insisting this is for the sake of protecting her from Kovu (who he believed only used Kiara to get to him) to the point he refused to even listen to her plea. He was so obsessed with protecting her that he undervalues her feelings and completely ignored how much hurt he inflicted on her even after she stated that he would never be Mufasa. Only after Kiara, together with Kovu, stopped the battle between them and the Outsiders and helped Simba realize that the Outsiders are no different from them that Simba was finally able realize his mistakes and fully reconcile with his daughter, and accepts that she's old enough to become self-sufficient and make her own decisions.
In The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, Simba and Kiara have a close father-daughter relationship with Simba lecturing Kiara about being future queen much like his father Mufasa had done with him, and in the episode, "Can't Wait to be Queen", Simba trusts Kiara to be acting queen while he is away with Nala and Zazu.
Kion
Simba has a good and loving father-son relationship with his son, Kion. In The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, Simba becomes annoyed when Kion and Bunga unintentionally disrupt his lecture with Kiara, though he is patent when having to separate his two children when they argue. When Rafiki declares that Kion is ready to lead the Lion Guard, Simba is at first worried about this, thinking that due to Kion being a cub, he is not ready, but changes his mind when Nala encourages him to listen to Rafiki.
After seeing that Kion has chosen Bunga, Beshte, Fuli and Ono to be part of the Lion Guard, Simba is not pleased. He tells his son that the Lion Guard has always been made up of lions, believing Kion was taking his new role as a game.
However after Kion and the Lion Guard save Kiara from a gazelle stampede and chase away Janja and his clan, Simba realizes that Kion was wise to have chosen his teammates and expresses pride in his son and accepts the new Lion Guard. Ever since then, Simba has helped Kion defend the Pride Lands, as seen when he helped Kion defeat Reirei and her jackal family, and he even leads the guard temporarily while Kion was away with Nala and Kiara on Udugu.
Although Simba is protective of Kion, it is never to the point of being overprotective, like he is with Kiara. This is most likely because Kion is much better at following the rules than Kiara (and Simba himself as a cub) and that Simba knows that Kion can take care of himself as leader of the Lion Guard. Simba shows great pride towards his son for his duty as leader of the Lion Guard and has great faith in them whenever they are protecting the Pride Lands.
After Scar returns to the Outlands, Simba plans on helping his son and the Lion Guard defeat his evil uncle, which eventually comes to pass in Kion's adolescence, but at the cost of Kion receiving the a scar during the battle, which prompts him to journey to the Tree of Life with Simba supporting this action, not wanting his son to become an evil surrogate of his uncle, but equally saddened by his departure.
A few months later, Kion returns to the Pride Lands. Simba and Nala are overjoyed to see their son again, and even more happy to see him marry Queen Rani and become King of the Tree of Life.
Kovu
Since Kovu was the son of Zira, his enemy in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and Scar's chosen heir, he initially saw Kovu as an untrustworthy enemy. Even when an adolescent Kovu saved his daughter, Simba didn't show even the least bit of gratitude, but was forced to repay his debt by accepting him and reserving any judgment; refusing to let him sleep with the rest of the pride. Simba’s wariness was increased when he saw Kovu becoming close with Kiara. At Nala’s suggestion, however, Simba decided to take the first step, starting by allowing Kovu to sleep in the den. Taking Kovu on walk and explaining Scar’s story in a neutral stance, Simba showed he was beginning to trust Kovu. But when the Outsiders attack him with Zira implying that Kovu was the one to lure him, all trust Simba had developed for him evaporated instantly again, believing Kovu was plotting against him the whole time.
When Kovu tried to speak for himself in order to deny having any knowledge of the ambush and asking for forgiveness, Simba banished him, in spite of Kiara's protests, while stating that Kovu is following in Scar's paw prints and had used his relationship with Kiara to get close to him. In the end, when he sees Kiara and Kovu together following Zira’s death, he apologizes to Kovu for (arrogantly and wrongfully) banishing him and accepts him, along with the other Outsiders, to the Pride Lands. He also watches Kovu and Kiara as Rafiki blesses their wedding with Pride. The wedding officially makes Kovu Simba’s son-in-law.
Rani
Rani becomes Simba's daughter-in-law upon her marriage to Kion. Simba attends their wedding (which doubled as Kion's coronation) and is very happy and proud when they are married. Simba is very supportive of his son's love for Rani and couldn't be more delighted to welcome her to his family.
Friends and Allies
Timon and Pumbaa
Timon and Pumbaa have been Simba's best friends ever since he ran away after his father's death. As Timon and Pumbaa saved his life, Simba is understanding enough to refrain from eating many other animals and properly follows the Hakuna Matata motto that they taught him. He enjoyed his time with Timon and Pumbaa, participating in their various activities in which some of them were competitions where Simba, according to Timon, holds the record of the world's "longest bug belch", as well as beating both of them in various bug-eating contests (Slug Swallowing, Cricket Crunching, Grub Gulping, Maggot Munching, and the shown Snail Slurping). As a cub, Simba thought of Timon as a surrogate father figure and looked up to him a lot, while he saw Pumbaa as the uncle he never had in comparison to Scar. In return, Timon and Pumbaa also considered Simba when he was a cub as their son, worrying for him as a parent does to their child. In The Lion Guard episode "Bunga and the King", they affectionately refer to Simba as their "baby".
As gratitude for saving him out in the desert, Simba also decided to repay them by protecting them from danger, protecting them from Nala when she tried to eat them. When Simba went back to Pride Rock to save the Pride Lands from Scar's tyranny, Timon and Pumbaa also loyally fought alongside Simba and Simba was again grateful to them for helping him (in the interquel film, when they bowed respectfully to him, he hugged them, and claimed that he couldn't have done it without them). While Simba is king, Timon and Pumbaa are his bodyguards and are often tasked by him to look after Kiara. Despite them constantly losing track of Kiara, Simba is never upset with or disappointed in Timon and Pumbaa because he knows that they try their best..
Rafiki
When he first interacted with Rafiki, Simba found him to be mildly annoying, most likely not remembering that Rafiki was the same baboon that anointed him at birth. After he helped Simba with his identity crisis and helped him in the fight against the hyenas, Simba began to regard Rafiki as a friend and ally, playfully hugging him tight when the baboon bowed down to him as the new king. When Simba exiles Kovu, he sighs very sadly that Simba defied his father's paw prints. But after Zira dies, Rafiki is relieved to see Simba having a change of heart about Kovu and the rest of the Outsiders.
Zazu
As a cub, Simba had the habit of teasing Zazu and ditching him whenever he was asked by Sarabi to accompany him and his best friend, Nala, on their adventures, much to Zazu's dismay. As an adult and king after overthrowing Scar, Simba became more professional with Zazu, who like for Mufasa, serves as the majordomo of the Pride Lands with the exception of babysitting Kiara, which was the job of Timon and Pumbaa. As he did with Mufasa, Zazu respects Simba and takes the duty given by him seriously. He also feels responsible for the safety of Simba's son, Kion out of respect for Simba.
Bunga
Simba initially had a rocky relationship with Bunga. He found Bunga annoying due to his tendency to act first without thinking through properly and Bunga's lack of respect for him because the honey badger sees him more as his best friend's father instead of his king, but still Simba looked out for him since Bunga is his subject and his son's best friend. However, Simba's relationship with Bunga became better after they found common ground in the Hakuna Matata philosophy since they lived with Timon and Pumbaa at some point in their lives, which makes them some sort of foster brothers. From then on, they consider each other as brothers, though in Simba's case, Bunga can be an annoying younger brother at times.
Beshte, Fuli, and Ono
Simba becomes good friends with all of the members of the Lion Guard. In "The Trail to Udugu" when Kion goes with Kiara to find Udugu, Simba takes his place and becomes the leader for one day. Simba finds out how Kion's team works. Simba is very proud and knows that they can take care of the Pride Lands.
Hadithi
Simba and Hadithi are good friends. Simba was happy to see Hadithi back in the Pride Lands. In "Battle for the Pride Lands", Hadithi helps Anga fly Simba, and his family off of Pride Rock when it's on fire.
Ma Tembo
Simba and Ma Tembo are good friends. Simba attends her father, Aminifu's funeral. When Scar came back, Ma Tembo wasn't happy that Simba didn't tell the Pridelanders. She understood why he didn't tell them and stayed in the Pride Lands.
Acquaintances
Makuu
When Makuu won leadership of the crocodiles from Pua, Simba, despite subtle misgivings, acknowledged this. Despite the crocodiles' transgressions against the Pride Lands under Makuu's reign, Simba invited Makuu to the Savannah Summit and give him a chance to improve his relations with the other Pride Landers, being the only one who believed he was ready to change his ways. With Makuu having become more diplomatic and open to comprise, the two are on good terms in the end, having a professional trust.
Anga
Anga and Simba are on good terms. She joins the Lion Guard in battle against Scar's Army. When Pride Rock is set on fire, she and Hadithi fly Simba, Nala and Kiara to safety.
Jasiri
Simba and Jasiri are on good terms. She joins the Lion Guard in battle against Scar's Army.
Janja's Clan
Simba used to hate Janja's Clan since they were on Scar's side. When Scar betrays the hyenas, they tell Kion and Simba how to defeat Scar. They even help out in the final battle against Scar.
Enemies
Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed
Simba and the hyena trio are enemies. They have made several attempts on his life; however, all of them have ended in failure. After Scar is killed by the hyenas, even though then they have stopped being loyal to Scar, it is assumed that the hyenas remained enemies with Simba, as they are not shown together in the sequel, on account of the hyenas not appearing, and in The Lion Guard, their descendants known as Janja's Clan are constantly driven out of the Pride Lands by the Lion Guard up until they reformed after, like the original hyenas, being betrayed by Scar.
Zira
Zira is another one of Simba's greatest enemies. After he became king, Zira approached him, stating Scar had chosen her son Kovu to be his successor. Simba tried to explain Scar was never the true king, but this only made an enraged Zira attack him only for Simba easily defeat her. Because of this act, he banished her and those who remained loyal to Scar to the Outlands, threatening a harsh punishment should they return. When the outsiders came to the Pride Lands for an attack, Simba gave Zira a final chance to surrender and return to the Outlands, however, Zira refused and attacked anyway. The two lions were about to engage in a potentially one-on-one bloody battle when Kiara and Kovu intervened. While Simba was ready to call off the war and allow the outsiders to return to the Pride Lands, Zira still wanted to kill Simba to avenge Scar. Simba tried reasoning with her, but Zira refuses, which, much like Scar, ultimately leads to her death.
Kiburi
When Kiburi went against Makuu's orders to stand by by seizing the water holes for other animals during the dry season, Simba is visibly angered. After Ushari tells Kiburi that if he can take down Simba he can rule the Pride Lands, Kiburi attempted to assassinate him, only for Ono to spot the scheme and the guard stopping them. Incensed by this crime, Simba banished Kiburi and his followers to the Outlands. Kiburi joins Scar's side and fights against the Pride Landers.
Reirei
During the Kupatana Celebration, Reirei and her pack tried to eat the animals. After Kion and the Lion Guard round all the jackals up, Simba backs his son up and demands them to return to the Outlands, roaring at Reirei when she still tries to manipulate them with false acts of innocence.