Rafiki (Disney)

"Oh yes, the past can hurt, but the way I see it, you can run from it... or... learn from it."

- Rafiki, encouraging Simba to return to Pride Rock

Rafiki is a supporting character in the 1994 film The Lion King, it's 1998 sequel The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, it's 2004 midquel The Lion King 1½ and it's 2016 sequel series The Lion Guard.

He is voiced by Robert Guillame in the films and Khary Payton in The Lion Guard.

His physical appearance combines features of both hamadryas baboons and the mandrill.

Personality
Rafriki is aloof, highly-strung, loyal, slightly insane, but wise and insightful. He has a very spiritual worldview and is very experienced at magic. He regularly holds ceremonies and is an old friend to simba's bloodline. He comes off as immature, childish and irritating at first, but can offer great moral support when necessary. Being a baboon, Rafiki is also no push-over, and if the situation warrants it, he can become a deadly and formidable opponent, easily beating up much larger enemies.

History
He is a baboon shaman and considered the family priest to Simba's family for past and future generations. He was also a close friend of Simba's father Mufasa and a supporting character in the Disney classic, The Lion King. He blesses the children of the king of Pride Rock, believing the spirits of their ancestors bless them. He carries a staff and can predict the future. It is he who convinces Simba to return to Pride Rock and fulfill his destiny.

When Simba was born, he blessed the young cub and predicted that he will become a good king. When Mufasa died, he wept greatly over the loss of his friend and when Simba was presumed deceased, he gave up hope on restoring peace to the circle of life after Simba's uncle Scar became king and let hyenas into The Pride Lands. One night, an young adult Simba was sulking over his life and a few of his mane hairs blew away and ended up near Rafiki's tree and then, Rafiki knew that Simba was alive and that it was time to take his place in the circle of life. After fighting with Nala, Simba runs into Rafiki, who he does not remember and the old monkey kept toying his mind with riddles and then Rafiki mentioned Mufasa which caught Simba's attention. Rafiki called upon the ghost of Mufasa, who reminded Simba who he was and Simba returned to the pridelands. Rafiki found Nala, Timon & Pumbaa and told them to return as well.

Rafiki returned and joined in the battle between the lionesses and hyenas and kicked many hyenas' butts. He also saved Simba from a hyena who tried to attack him by bashing the hyena in the head hard with his wooden stick. After Scar's death and the hyenas fled, Rafiki indicated to Simba to take his place on Pride Rock to which the young lion did and roared in victory. Sometime later, Rafiki presents Simba and Nala (now Simba's wife)'s newborn cub to the animals of The Pride Lands.

In The Lion King II: Simba's Pride,  Rafiki blessed Simba and Nala's daughter Kiara and like many others, he was skeptical about the relationship between Kiara and Kovu, Zira's son and Scar's heir, but Mufasa's spirit forces Rafiki to help bring them together and he reluctantly agrees. He became an animal love maker towards the two lovers when they became adolescents and brought them together but it was only temporary when Simba exiled Kovu (because he thought that Kovu was part of an ambush where Simba was attacked by Outsiders) as much to his sadness, knowing he was not involved on the attack which was actually set by Kovu's mother Zira and that Simba has completely lost his mind and is defying his father's goals, which puts the "Circle of Life" out of balance. When Kovu and the reformed Outsiders rejoined the Pridelanders and Kovu married Kiara and became accepted to succeed the throne, Rafiki looked and knew that Mufasa was right all along.

In The Lion King 1 1/2,  from Timon and Pumbaa's point of view of the first film, Rafiki helped them out with their problems. When Simba left to return to Pride Rock, Pumbaa was eager to join him but Timon had no desire. Rafiki confronted Timon but said nothing which made Timon realized he was wrong and should help his friends.

In the stage musical adaption first performed in 1997, Rafiki is changed to a female because its director, Julie Taymor, believed that there was generally no strong female character in the film. In the original Broadway production, he/she is played by Tsidii Le Loka, while in the original London production, he/she is played by Josette Bushell-Mingo.

In the 2015 film The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar (which takes place in the middle of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride), Rafiki is first seen with Simba and Nala at Pride Rock where they hear Kion (Simba and Nala's son) roar loudly. Hearing this, Rafiki (knowing that Kion had used The Roar of the Elders) tells Simba and Nala that Kion is ready to lead The Lion Guard. Simba is reluctant to accept this as Kion is still a cub and isn't ready for that responsibility, but Nala encourages him to listen to Rafiki.

After Nala leaves the two be, Kion arrives with his best friend Bunga arrive where they are told by Rafiki and Simba about Kion using The Roar of the Elders and take them to a part of Pride Rock called The Lair of The Lion Guard and tell Kion that he is the leader of The Lion Guard.

Rafiki is last seen with Simba, Nala, Kiara and Kiara's friend Tiifu, witnessing Kion and The Lion Guard confronting and defeating Janja and his clan.

In the film's follow-up series The Lion Guard, Rafiki serves as a recurring character.

Trivia

 * In an earlier draft of The Lion King, where the plot would have been about a war against Lions and Baboons, Rafiki was portrayed as a cheetah.
 * Another early draft had Rafiki leave the Pride Lands with Simba and train him to reclaim his throne from Scar.