Simba (Disney)

"How can I go back? I'm not who used to be!"

- Young Adult Simba to his father's ghost King Simba is the main protagonist of The Lion King, the main tritagonist of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, The Lion King 1½ and The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa and a supporting character in The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar and it's follow up series The Lion Guard. He is Nala's best friend and later, her husband, Kiara and Kion (and unofficially Kopa's) father, Kovu's father-in-law, Mufasa and Sarabi's son, Scar's nephew and Sarafina's son-in-law.

He was voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas (Jason Weaver, singing) as a cub and Matthew Broderick as an adult (Joseph Williams and Cam Clarke, singing).

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 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 lithe. 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 sequel Simba's Pride, now a full grown adult, the colors of his pelt and mane are somewhat duller, and he has a more aged look and a heavier build.

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.

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 very cold 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 kin. 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.

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. Suddenly, Mufasa is called to handle an emergency, and Simba is sent home, much to his disappointment.

After Simba returns home, he tells Scar, his uncle, about the trip. Taking advantage of the cub's naive nature, Scar tells Simba what the forbidden place is in fact the elephant's graveyard, where only the bravest lions travel. Simba wants to prove himself brave, and so he along with his best friend Nala travel to the graveyard. Unknown to them Scar had placed his hyena henchmen there to kill the cubs, in an attempt to remove Simba from the line of succession so that Scar could become king. 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 Simba that Scar will return with his father soon. In fact the "surprise" was another plot of Scar's, with the goal of killing both Simba and Mufasa. Scar's hyenas drive a herd of wildebeest toward Simba. Though Mufasa was able to save Simba, Mufasa did not survive. Mufasa had attempted to climb a sheer cliff to safety after dropping Simba on a safe ledge. Near the top, Mufasa called to Scar for help. Instead, Scar threw him off after saying with an evil grin, "Long live the king." However, this was unknown to Simba, who only saw his father fall to his death. Simba is later manipulated by Scar into believing that Mufasa's death was his own fault. 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 saving Pumbaa from a mysterious lioness, he discovers that the lioness is his old friend Nala. 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. 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 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. Scar forces Simba over the edge of Pride Rock and pierces Simba's paws with his claws (just like he did to Mufasa) before revealing 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 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. After a fight with Scar at the top of Pride Rock, Simba is able to flip the villainous lion over the ledge. There, Scar is consumed by his hyena henchmen, who were angered after Scar attempted to place blame on them for Mufasa's death.

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 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 a young adult, she heads out into the Pride Lands alone for her first hunt. Simba is worried for her safety and sends Timon and Pumbaa out to watch her again. While Kiara is hunting, Simba paces nervously at Pride Rock. He notices smoke from a wildfire, and rallies the pride to go find Kiara. Kovu rescues her, and asks to join the pride. Simba at first tries to send him away, citing his banishment alongside the other Outsiders. Nala and Rafiki convinces him to accept Kovu into the pride, as Pride Lands law states that debts must be repaid, and they owe Kovu for rescuing Kiara. 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.

That night, Simba later has a nightmare of him trying to save his father Mufasa from death, but is prevented from doing so by Scar who morphs into Kovu and is thrown off the cliff. Unknown to Simba, Zira has secretly trained Kovu to infiltrate Simba's pride and kill Simba. Simba gradually begins to trust Kovu, and Kiara and Kovu begin to fall in love. Soon Kovu begins to question his loyalty to the Outsiders.

After a while, Simba takes Kovu out for a walk and tells him the real story about Scar. Zira and the other Outsiders ambush Kovu and Simba while they are walking, automatically reigniting Simba's distrust in Kovu after Zira congratulates Kovu for leading him into the ambush "just like they always planned". 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 leaps up a log dam to safety, causing a few logs to fall on Kovu's brother Nuka, who tried to stop him from escaping and he dies from his injuries. Kovu is blamed for the death and Zira strikes Kovu with her paw and gives him a mark over his eye that resembles Scar's, he then flees to the Pride Lands in shame and Zira tells her pride to let Kovu go.

Simba, realizing/believing Kovu had dark motives when he saved Kiara, exiles the lion, after refusing to accept his apologies and silencing his daughter when she orders her father to listen to Kovu. As Kovu flees he glaced back at him ignoring Rafiki who was watching very sadly. Kiara is distraught at this, and pleads with her father to reconsider but he claims that Kovu used her just to get to him and he is following Scar's paw prints and Simba himself must to follow his own father's. Kiara angrily defies her father saying to him, "You will never be Mufasa!" causing Simba to hurt immensely, and Kiara then runs away to find Kovu. The two reunite in the desert later that night. As Simba enters the cave to find his defiant daughter gone, 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 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. Zira, despite Kiara's offers of aid, slips and falls to her death in the swollen river below.

After Simba and Kiara climb back up to safety, Simba finally reconciles with his daughter and accepts Kovu and the other Outsiders into his pride. The two united prides head back to Pride Rock where Kiara and Kovu are married. In celebration, Kovu, Kiara, Simba and Nala 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.

Simba proves to be a handful, as he scales tall and dangerous trees and swims over waterfalls, not caring about the danger he's in and Timon's frantic efforts to discipline him. As a teenager, he has beaten Timon in every kind of bug eating contest, along with a snail slurping contest that is shown. He also has a tendency to wake up at night, thirsty or "needing to go" and in one scene, he mentions that he had a "bad dream", either about his father's death or getting killed in the stampede trying to get to safety, leading to him sleeping beside Timon and Pumbaa.

Later on Simba has become a teen and is challenged by Timon to a snail slurping contest which Simba walks away from victoriously. Soon enough he reunites with Nala and while they're having a date, Timon and Pumbaa lie in the background attempting to break them up. Simba then leaves the next day to reclaim the throne and get help from Timon and Pumbaa. Before he reclaims the throne he thanks Timon and Pumbaa stating "I couldn't have done it without you guys."

Timon & Pumbaa
Simba makes occasional appearances in the Timon & Pumbaa animated TV series. This includes one episode in which Timon drags him out to try to revive Pumbaa's lost memory. In the episode "Congo on Like This", Timon and Pumbaa suspect that Simba may have reverted to his carnivorous nature. The episode "Shake Your Djibouti" features Simba again where Timon and Pumbaa are forced to train Simba to protect them from a laboratory monster. In another episode, he appears only as a cardboard cutout.

Another episode entitled "Rome Alone" sees Simba being captured by Romans, who force him into gladiatorial battle with another lion named Claudius. In the episode "Once Upon a Timon", Simba arrives during the episode's climax and persuades Rafiki to finish telling the story of how Timon became an outcast.

Simba also appears in a music video of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" starring Timon and Pumbaa, which appeared at the end of one episode.

House of Mouse
Simba has made numerous appearances in the House of Mouse television series as a minor character. He is sometimes seen as a cub or as an adult. In "Timon and Pumbaa", he complains about Timon and Pumbaa's popularity, saying "Those guys always get all the attention!" In "King Larry Swings In", a cub Simba was seen in a flashback and fell from the cliff of Pride Rock after Donaldaccidentally dropped him. He also appears in the finale advertisement with Nala being scolded by a babysitting Donald Duck in "Mickey vs. Shelby".

He makes brief appearances in Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse. He also has a cameo as a cub at the beginning of Mickey's House of Villains.

The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar
Simba appears as a supporting character in the 2015 TV film The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, which takes place in the middle of Simba's Pride. The film features Simba and Nala having a second child together, a son named Kion who due to being second born, becomes leader of The Lion Guard, who protect The Circle of Life.

He is voiced by Rob Lowe.

Simba first appears at the start of the film at Pride Rock teaching Kiara about being future Queen, only to be disrupted by Kion and his honey badger friend Bunga who are playing Baobab Ball but an annoyed Simba stops them briefly. Simba says that he needs to talk to Kiara and that she is going to be tracking gazelles with her friends today. He then breaks up a squabbling Kion and Kiara, before sending his son and Bunga to play their game elsewhere while he continues his talk with Kiara. As he watches Kion leave, Simba expresses hope that his son will grow up and become more serious.

Later, Simba, Nala and Rafiki hear Kion's Roar of the Elders (which he did to save Bunga from two hyenas named Cheezi and Chungu) to which Rafiki declares that it is time for Kion to become leader of The Lion Guard. Simba at first believes that Kion isn't ready for that responsibility as he is just a cub, but Nala encourages him to listen to Rafiki.

Kion returns with Bunga to Pride Rock and asks Simba what he and Rafiki are talking about to which Simba says that he and Kion need to talk. Simba and Rafiki then take Kion and Bunga to a part of Pride Rock called The Lair of The Lion Guard and reveal to Kion that he is the leader of the new Lion Guard. Simba tells his son about how Scar used to lead The Lion Guard until he used his powers for evil, before sending Kion off to find members for The Lion Guard.

Simba is later informed by Kiara that Kion put Bunga in The Lion Guard and proves this when Zazu leads them to Kion who is with Bunga and the other picked members Beshte, Fuli and Ono. Simba thanks Kiara for informing him before sending her and her friend Tiifu to track gazelles while he has a word with Kion. Simba, after seeing the animals Kion has picked, says that The Lion Guard has always been made up of lions and scolds Kion for treating his role as leader as a game for him and his friends to play and says that Kion should take his new responsibility seriously like Kiara is with hers.

When tracking gazelles, Kiara notices Janja and his clan in the herd and sends Tiifu to get Simba. However, by the time Tiifu returns with Simba along with Nala, Janja and his clan have started a stampede in the herd and Kiara gets trapped in it. However, Kion and The Lion Guard come to Kiara's rescue and drive the hyenas away, making Simba realize that Kion was wise to chose whom he chosen and congratulates his son and accepts the new Lion Guard.

"The Rise of Makuu"
When Kion worries about the upcoming mashindano between crocodiles Makuu and Pua, Simba tells him that he must respect other animals' traditions, even if he doesn't agree with them.

Simba along with his family, The Lion Guard and several other animals, watches the mashindano. When Makuu triumphs, Simba steps forward and congratulates him before thanking Pua for his services as the leader of the crocodiles.

The Lion King: Six New Adventures
In 1994 six books called The Lion King: Six New Adventures where released which where set after the events of the first film showing Simba and Nala having a son named Kopa.

Kingdom Hearts Series
Simba is a recurring character in the Kingdom Hearts series. He is voiced by Cam Clarke (adult) and Jonathan Taylor Thomas (child) in English and Japanese voice is done by Mitsuru Miyamoto (adult) and Tatsuya Nakazaki (child).

In Kingdom Hearts and Chain of Memories, he featured as the first obtained summon. In Kingdom Hearts II, he took on a much larger role since he was an ally and party member. This was largely due to the fact that his homeworld, the Pride Lands, was visited by Sora, Donald and Goofy. His role was similar to that of the film: Nala, along with the trio, encouraged Simba to return to Pride Rock and overthrow the tyrant king, Scar. Simba agreed to this after his father's spirit, Mufasa, rebuilt his confidence. He returned to his kingdom to find out that Scar had turned into a Heartless so after a battle, Scar was defeated and the hyenas were expelled, allowing Simba to take his rightful place as king. However, Simba's confidence in his leadership capabilities dabbled when Scar's ghost returned to haunt and torment Simba. Sora eased his worries and helped him defeat Scar's ghost so that there was nothing holding Simba back any more.

The Lion King (musical)
Following the success of The Lion King, Julie Taymor created the musical The Lion King.

In this production, we have an insight into events that weren't explored in the original film, as Simba, young and old, is in nearly all the musical numbers. But in the Broadway production, we see a slightly extended role, which includes scenes like Timon being trapped above a lake full of crocodiles, which was Simba's fault; as the situation reminded him of the day his father was killed by his uncle Scar, and sings an additional song called "Endless Night".

Jason Raize plays Simba while Scott Irby-Ranniar plays young Simba in the original Broadway cast of The Lion King. However, after Raize committed suicide in 2004, a new actor had to take his place as Simba in future showings.

Disney Parks
Like most characters from The Lion King, Simba does not appear for meet-and-greets. Instead, he appears in certain shows. He makes cameos in It's a Small World, Fantasmic! and Mickey's PhilharMagic where he sings "I Just Can't Wait to Be King". In Disneyland, Simba is seen atop a float for Mickey's Soundsational Parade.

Simba has his own spell card known as "Simba's Roar" in the attraction Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. Simba, and other characters from The Lion King are also featured in Disney's Art of Animation Resort in Walt Disney World.

Simba is also a prominent character for Disney's Animal Kingdom merchandise and promotional material. Also in the park, Simba stars in Festival of the Lion King, hosted by Timon. In the former Magic Kingdom attraction The Legend of the Lion King, the story of the film was retold using animatronic puppets and scenes from the film, and of course, Simba appears in it.

In Disney California Adventure, Simba makes an appearance in a segment of World of Color. He is seen reliving the wildebeest stampede from the film, and can also be seen during the finale.

Simba also makes an appearance on a float in Paris Disneyland with Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki and Scar hiding at the back.

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 once they discovered this fact. 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 save them from Scar's tyranny. In the midst of all this, they finally realized their friendship had grown into love, and eventually married as originally intended. As 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 gets the best of him.

Mufasa
Simba had a loving relationship with his father. He looked up to him, and after being chased by the hyenas, he said he was just trying to be brave like his father. Mufasa tries to teach Simba the proper conduct in times of danger and as a king, and discourages him from taking foolish risks. Simba spent all the time he wasn't with Nala with his father, and Mufasa showed him how to be a good ruler. When his father was killed in the wildebeest stampede caused by the hyenas under Scar's signal, he was grief-stricken, believing it to be his own fault. It was Mufasa's spiritual guidance that eventually convinced Simba years later to reclaim the throne stolen from him.

In the second film, it is shown that Simba desires to live up to his father's legacy. Several of Simba's actions are based on what he thinks his father would approve of.

Sarabi
Simba's mother, as well as the queen of Pride Rock and the mate to Mufasa, Sarabi and Simba loved each other very much. She was proud of her young son, and like Mufasa, tried to teach him proper conduct and groomed him for his future as the king. She also was protective of him, ensuring that Simba didn't run off to where he could get himself into trouble. When Scar claimed that Simba died alongside Mufasa in the wildebeest stampede, she was heartbroken. Years later, when Simba arrived to save his home, he watched sadly as Scar berated his mother. When Scar struck her down in a fit of rage, Simba immediately came to her defense and comforted her. She was in disbelief to see him alive, but very elated. After Scar was forced to confess that he killed Mufasa, Sarabi fought by Simba's side and they managed to save their home. She watched proudly as Simba assumed his throne as intended. Sarabi still supported her son after he became king, as shown in the second film, when she stands by Simba's side along with Nala, Timon, Pumbaa, and the rest of the pride when Simba faces Zira.

Scar
At first, Simba loved his uncle, and would always tell him of his adventures, but Scar never seemed to be interested. After Simba tells Scar about his dad showing him the whole kingdom, Scar deliberately told his nephew about the Elephant Graveyard, hoping that Simba would go there and get himself killed (even though he covered his mouth and pretended he told him by accident).

Scar sent the hyenas, Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, after Simba to kill him, but this first attempt failed. Later on, Scar led Simba into a deep gorge, and Scar, along with help from the hyenas, caused a stampede of wildebeests in the gorge, intending to kill Simba and his father. He only succeeded in killing Mufasa, his older brother, by throwing him off a high ledge he was clinging on to and into the stampede. He lied to Simba into believing that it was his fault, and that he should run away and never return. Scar then again ordered the hyenas to kill Simba, but they failed once again, unbeknownst to Scar.

Years later, Simba is now a young adult, and he went to challenge Scar for the throne. He saw Scar slap Sarabi (Simba's mother) across the face. Thus, Simba's love for his uncle turned into pure hatred, and he told Scar to either step down or fight. Scar said that he would step down, but he can't since the hyenas thought he was the King. Then, Scar made Simba reveal that he's responsible for Mufasa's death, but Simba insisted that it was an accident and that he's not a murderer. Just as Scar was about to throw the "murderer" off Pride Rock, he whispered to Simba and told him that he killed Mufasa. In his rage, Simba jumped back up and pinned his uncle to the ground. After Simba forces Scar to reveal the truth to the lionesses, a violent fight between the lionesses, Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki (who all appeared to aid Simba), and the hyenas ensued. Simba then chased Scar up Pride Rock on his own, and soon cornered him in an attempt to overthrow him. Scar, knowing he wasn't strong enough to defeat Simba, begged for mercy and tries to explain that it's the hyenas who are the real enemy. Simba then says that everything Scar ever told him was a lie. Simba, not wishing to be the monster Scar was, spared him instead of killing him, telling him to run away and never return (the same words Scar told Simba when he was a cub). Scar pretended to leave, but tricked him and threw burning embers at Simba's face, and then a fight between Simba and Scar broke out. Before Scar could pounce on Simba and kill him, Simba kicked him over himself and over an edge and he lands down at the bottom of the ledge where the hyenas wait, they killed Scar by mauling him after years of broken promises and as revenge for his blaming them for Mufasa's death.

Simba hasn't forgotten how Scar ruined his life, and swore to spare the Pride Lands from another such tragedy. In the second film, 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.

Timon & Pumbaa
Timon and Pumbaa have been Simba's best friends ever since he ran away after his father's death. Though it is shown in the third film that Simba had a habit of waking Timon up in the middle of the night (this happened 4 times in the film: 1st was to go to the bathroom, 2nd was to get a drink of water, the 3rd was presumably go to the bathroom again, and the 4th time being that he had a bad dream and ends up sleeping with them). He was also, 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 merely as the uncle he never had.

As gratitude for saving him out in the desert, Simba decided to repay them by protecting them from danger. When Simba went back to Pride Rock to save the Pride Lands from Scar's Tyranny, Timon and Pumbaa fought alongside Simba and Simba was again grateful to them for helping him (in the third 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 body guards and are often tasked by him to look after Kiara.

Zazu
Not much is known about Simba's relationship with Zazu, apart from the fact that he was never pleased when Zazu had to watch him and Nala, and the fact that Simba liked to tease the bird at every chance he got, even calling him Banana Beak, much to Zazu's chagrin. Despite this, Simba had at least some degree of respect for Zazu, as he willingly goes with Zazu when Mufasa orders the latter to escort Simba home while he takes care of some trespassing hyenas, though Simba was a little disgruntled that he couldn't go with his father. After Simba voiced his frustrations, Zazu boosts Simba's morale by reminding him that one day he will be king. When Simba became king, he let Zazu retain his job as majordomo and developed a lot more respect for him.

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 his birth ceremony. After he helped Simba with his Identity crisis and helping him in the fight against the hyenas, Simba began to regard Rafiki as a friend and ally.

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.

Kiara
Simba and his daughter, Kiara love each other very much. Simba tries his best to protect his daughter, but the headstrong lioness doesn't heed his orders, shown to stray from the path that her father marked for her and even entering the Outsider's lands even after Simba warning her about it. When Kiara met the Outsider Kovu, son of Simba's hated enemy Zira, he immediately disapproved of their friendship and became even more determined to defend Kiara.

When Kiara is a young adult, Simba had promised to let her go on her first hunt alone. However, he secretly sent Pumbaa and Timon to watch her like he did when she was a cub. Kiara discovered this and becomes furious with her father, and ran off to the outskirts of the Pride Lands. Angered and worried, Simba forbids her to go on anymore hunts when Kiara nearly died in a brush fire set by Vitani and Nuka, Kovu's siblings. When Kovu returned, he kept a close eye on the two friends, but eventually warmed up to Kovu when he proved himself trustworthy. Unfortunately, Zira ambushed Simba in a trap supposedly set by Kovu, when he in fact did it unknowingly and unwillingly which almost ended up in Simba's death. After this incident, Simba forbade Kiara from so much as leaving his sight, and banished Kovu. Heartbroken, Kiara said her father would never be Mufasa, greatly hurting her father. Kiara then ran off to find Kovu.

When Simba fought the attacking Outsiders, Kiara stopped him, with Kovu's help. She finally made him realize that he and the Outsiders were one and the same, finally ending the feud, and he and his daughter finally nuzzle. When Zira attacked Simba in rage, Kiara tackles her, and Simba helped her after Zira fell to her death in the raging river below. Simba was finally able to reconcile with his daughter and accepts that she's old enough to become self-sufficient and make her own decisions.

Kovu
Since Kovu was the son of Zira, his enemy in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, and since Kovu was also an outsider, he saw Kovu as untrustworthy and saw him as an enemy. Yet, when a young adult Kovu saved his daughter, Simba was forced to reserve any judgement. Later, when Simba took Kovu out and talked to him, it seems Simba has accepted him, but when the Outsiders attack him and Zira implies that Kovu was the one to lure him, all trust Simba had for him vanished, and now saw Kovu as a traitor. When Kovu tried to ask for forgiveness, despite Kiara's protests, Simba banished him. In the end, when he sees Kiara and Kovu together, he apologizes to Kovu for arrogantly banishing him and accepts him, along with the other Outsiders, to the Pridelands. He also watches Kovu and Kiara as Rafiki blesses them. Roaring with him on the top of Pride Rock, alongside Nala and Kiara.

Similar Heroes

 * Alex the Lion (Madagascar)
 * Bambi
 * Fox McCloud (StarFox)
 * Hiccup (How to Train Your Dragon)
 * Hiro Hamada (Big Hero 6)
 * Littlefoot (The Land Before Time)
 * Thor Odinson (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
 * Arlo (The Good Dinosaur)
 * Mowgli (The Jungle Book)

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 is similar to Bambi from the 1942 film of the same name, As both learn life lessons, fall in love with a childhood sweetheart (Nala and Faline), have two best friends (Timon & Pumbaa and Thumper & Flower), Lose a parent (Simba: his father, Bambi: his mother) and they also have a dream about them in their second films. Both also have a father who is a ruler and also teaches them lessons on how to be a wise leader.
 * Simba is also similar to Rudolph as both have fathers who are important figures (Simba's father Mufasa is King of the Pride Lands whilst Rudolph's father Donner (in the 1964 film) and Blitzen (in the 1998 film) is lead reindeer on Santa Claus's sleigh team) whom they succeed (Simba becomes King whilst Rudolph becomes lead reindeer). Both also run away from home (Simba left because he thought he killed Mufasa whilst Rudolph left because he was picked on because of his red nose) but eventually return. Both also fall in love with their female friend (Simba with Nala and Rudolph with Clarice (in the 1964 film) and Zoey (in the 1998 film)). However unlike Simba, Rudolph doesn't have children with his love interests.
 * He is also similar to Peter Pan from the 1953 film of the same name as both have cocky and arrogant attitudes that sometimes get the best of them and they also blackmail a villain (Scar and Captain Hook) into saying something out loud (Scar: "I killed Mufasa!" Hook: "I'M A CODFISH!") before releasing them and ordering them to "never return!".
 * He is similar to Mowgli from The Jungle Book, as both are adventurous and fun-loving, and they also befriend random carefree strangers (Timon & Pumbaa for Simba and Baloo for Mowgli).
 * 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.
 * Simba is also slightly similar to Horus from Egyptian mythology as both are princes and both their fathers (Mufasa and Osiris) are killed by their uncles (Scar and Set) who wish to be king. Both grow up and avenge their fathers deaths by battling and defeating their uncles and become king. A difference between the two is that Simba was born before Mufasa was killed by Scar whilst Horus was born after Osiris's death but was conceived after his mother Isis managed to briefly resurrect Osiris.
 * 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's name literally means "lion" in Swahili.