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"Your" Pride Lands? 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 of Disney's The Lion King franchise.
She is the vengeful leader of the Outsiders and Scar's most loyal follower who is bent on overthrowing the Pridelands' leader, Simba, for the death of her idol, to which she expects her son, Kovu, in taking that position brutally. She is Nuka, Vitani, and Kovu's abusive mother, and Kiara's mother-in-law and archenemy.
In The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, she 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 slender and muscular tan lioness with a darker dorsal stripe going down her head. Her eyes are bloodshot red, but appear blue in certain lights. Like Scar, she has black razor-sharp 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 also has a wiry grin whenever 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 to the point of spitefully getting him exiled from the Pride Lands. 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 the ones who killed 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 Outsiders 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 over-hunting 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, her family, and her followers from the Pride Lands, due to them still being faithful to Scar. She does care for her son, Nuka, despite her neglecting him when she shown loss of her eldest child when he tried to get her attention. However, it can be debated whether she would still have loved him if he hadn't been completely loyal to her goals, as she later threatens to kill Vitani for refusing to fight for her.
Biography
Past
Zira once lived in the Pride Lands alongside the other lions. In her youth, she apparently had a close relationship with Scar, who told her all about the Roar of the Elders; a power that he previously had before losing it due to using it to murder his fellow Lion Guard members after they refused to help him overthrow his brother Mufasa and establish himself as king. When Scar murdered Mufasa and laid claim to the Pride Lands, Zira quickly became his most loyal follower, rallying several lionesses into swearing loyalty to him. As a reward for her devotion to him, Scar named Zira's youngest cub, Kovu as his successor to the throne.
However, Scar's nephew Simba returned from exile and defeated Scar in a fight, and thus becoming the rightful king of the Pride Lands (it is currently unknown where Zira or her followers were during the battle; either they weren't present at Pride Rock or simply refused to aid the rest of the pride in their fight against Scar and his hyena army). This lead to a fierce argument between Zira and Simba, as Zira denied Simba's claim to the throne and asserted that Kovu was to become the next king by Scar's decree. When Simba retorted that Scar was never the true king, and thus his orders were moot, Zira became furious and attacked him, but was easily bested by the much stronger Simba. After emerging victorious, Simba, left with no other choice, banished Zira, her children and the lionesses loyal to her from the Pride Lands forever as punishment, threatening to take a pound of flesh from them if they ever set foot back in the Pride Lands again.
Zira and her pride, now known as the Outsiders, were then forced to reside in the Outlands. Furious about her exile, and holding him responsible for Scar's demise, Zira vowed revenge on Simba, swearing that he would fall and that Kovu would 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 when 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 him and Pumbaa. Zira then declares that the Pride Lands 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 could not bring himself to hurt a cub, (and disgusted that she would do such a thing to her own son) 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
Sometime 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 told by Jasiri that he is the 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, (which Simba himself had also told Zira prior to exiling her) 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 tells her that as long as he is around, she and her pride are unwelcome in the Pride Lands and the Outlands. He attempts to use the Roar to blast Zira and her pride away, but Zira is horrified by this and attempts to fearfully remind Kion that they're still lions, but Kion angrily ignores her and uses the Roar to blast Zira and her pride away, (with the exception of Kovu, who dodges the blast before running after his family shortly afterwards) leaving them to land near a termite mound, where they're never heard from again in the years that follow.
Zira's Revenge
Years later, Zira declares that an adolescent Kovu is ready to carry out the plan. Nuka and Vitani set the Pride Lands on fire during Kiara's first hunt, putting her to the mercy of Kovu, who rescues her. Kovu's rescue of Kiara is (reluctantly) rewarded acceptance into the Pride Lands by Simba, which Kovu is tasked to use as leverage to overthrow him. 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, including his tyranny and hatred leading to his downfall. 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 denies this and alters her plan.
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 truthfully denies having anything to do with it. Simba is 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 furiously 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 (unknowingly being discovered by Jasiri and Janja who head to the Tree of Life to warn Kion and the 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 an end to the battle and stop their parents from killing each other. Zira angrily orders Kovu to move 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 end the feud by saying that both prides are no different from each other by referring to what he told her when she was a cub: "We are one." 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 this 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, before she loses her grip and falls screaming to her death into a fast-flowing river below, whereupon she drowns and is carried away by rapids to her watery grave.
Legacy
Despite Zira's death, her original plan to have Kovu as the new King of the Pride Lands is most likely to succeed, fulfilling Scar's wish, but not in the way she expected as Kovu wants to carry on Simba and Mufasa's legacies, which inspired a touched Simba to accept Kovu as his son-in-law and future successor alongside Kiara as her king consort. Additionally, despite his mother's cruelty, Kovu did at least partially mourn her. 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 (leading a new Lion Guard in Kion's absence). A cave painting depicting Zira's defeat is displayed outside of Pride Rock.
Other Media
The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure
Zira appears as one of the two bosses (the other being Scar) where she battles Simba and roars with enough force to cause rocks and logs to fall towards Simba which he has to dodge before finally defeating her.
Relationships
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Quotes
The Lion Guard
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.
Simba's Pride
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.
Zira lashing out at her son Nuka for neglecting his babysitting duties with a young Kovu.You were suppose to be WATCHING HIM!!
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.
Zira lying to Simba that Kovu was in on her plan, (which he wasn't) directly leading to his wrongful exile from the Pride Lands.Well done, Kovu. Just like we've always planned.
Zira mourning the loss of her son Nuka with the other Outlanders.Scar....watch over my poor Nuka.
Zira to Kovu minutes before she scratches him across the face, leaving him with a scar.YOU! What have you done?!
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's villainous breakdown as she angrily blames Kovu for Nuka's death that he had nothing to do with.
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.
Zira furiously ordering Kovu to move out of the way when he and Kiara intervene and stop her and Simba from fighting each other.You're even weaker than I thought. Get out of the way!
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.
Zira rejecting Kiara's help and her actual last words in a deleted scene.No! Never.
Lions Over All lyrics
My Lullaby lyrics
Trivia
- In Swahili, "Zira" means "hate" which, reflecting her hatred of Simba and his pride.
- Originally, as Zira was hanging for dear life and Kiara offered to help her, Zira refused her help and let go with a twisted grin on her face, committing suicide. This was deemed too dark of a fate for the character, and thus the scene was cut. A remnant of the scene is shown in the final film where Zira falls to her death whilst smiling.
- Zira's character underwent several changes before her final iteration:
- In the earliest known treatment for the story, Zira did not exist. Instead, the main antagonist was a rouge elephant known as Brutus, who wanted to lay claim to the Pride Lands himself. Similarly to Zira in the finalized version of the story, he would've attempted to use Kovu as a puppet King to kill Simba and his daughter Shani (an early iteration of Kiara).
- In early drafts of The Lion King II from 1995-1996, she was named Bianca and was the aunt to Kovu, raising him in exile after the death of his parents (among them being Scar). She would have allied with Shenzi, Banzai and Ed and their clan to take revenge on Simba by killing his daughter Shani (an early iteration of Kiara). The film's climax would have involved Bianca and her hyena army attacking Simba with murderous intent, and ultimately overwhelming him. Presumably due to Bianca not being a Swahili name as well as the hyenas' involvement in Scar's downfall, Zira's name and army were changed.
- According to Darrell Rooney and Flip Kobler, the director and co-writer of Simba's Pride, several drafts designed Zira to be Scar's mate, with Nuka, Vitani, and Kovu as their children. Then-Disney CEO, Micheal Eisner protested this, as this would have lead to incest between Kovu and Kiara as distant cousins, so this plot-point was written around to where Kovu is clarified to have no biological relation to Scar.
- In late 1996 drafts that were said to be 'incest-free,' Zira and Scar were said to have no children. This would indicate that Nuka and Vitani were, at some point in production, written to be unrelated to both Zira and Scar.
- Darrell Rooney and Flip Kobler disagree on Zira and Scar's relationship. Flip Kobler describes Nuka as the true son of Scar, unlike Kovu, explaining his jealousy towards his brother; This would imply a romantic relationship between Zira and Scar. However, director Darrell Rooney states that the relationship was obscured mid-production to make her "just a follower", suggesting that Zira may not have any marital ties to Scar.
- In the late 1996 drafts, Zira was originally considred to be Kovu's adopted mother, as Kovu is described as an orphaned cub. Production notes by the late Simba's Pride animator Wendell Washer, suggested a scrapped climax where Zira was revealed to have stolen Kovu from his true father, 'King Regandi' (who was cut from the film).
- In the film and Lions of the Outlands, Zira blames Simba for Scar's death. It's unknown whether or not she is aware of the hyenas' part in Scar's demise.
- It's 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's 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 the contradiction to the events of the first film and squares with why she is so loyal to Scar.
- There is also a possibility that unlike the other lionesses, Zira didn't give up on trying to find food for Scar and kept searching. This could also explain why she and her lionesses are not present at the battle of Pride Rock, as she was with her lions while trying to hunt for food and water.
- 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.
- Zira serves as a dark parallel to Simba. They are both leaders of their prides who are feuding with each other. While Simba views his pride members as family, Zira views her fellow lionesses as her lackeys in her villainous plans and arguably has little (if any) care for them. However, when Kiara points out that both prides are no different from each other, Simba decides to let go of his hatred to Scar and forgives the other Outsiders, while Zira refuses to abandon her loyalty to him, even when offered a chance of redemption. If Simba let his hatred of his uncle consume him and refused to forgive the Outsiders, he would've ended up like Zira.
- 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 highly resembles the Strange Lion from The Lion Guard, as both are lions with tan fur, cream markings, red eyes with yellow sclerae, dark ear rims, a dorsal stripe, and a notch in their right ear. Fans speculate a relation between the two, which is hinted at by Ford Riley, but it wasn't confirmed.
- Her death is similar to Ushari as both die trying to avenge Scar. The only differences being:
- Zira falls and drowns to death in water.
- Ushari falls and burns to death in lava.
External Links
- Zira on the Disney Wiki
- Zira on the Lion King Wiki
- Zira on the Lion Guard Wiki
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