Lion (Steven Universe)

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Lion is a magical lion-like creature from Steven Universe. Steven tries to befriend in the episode "Steven's Lion". Lion protects Steven, as seen in "Steven's Lion" and in "So Many Birthdays". It is highly implied at that Lion has a connection with Rose/Pink Diamond.

Appearance

Lion has dark pink fur and a lighter pink mane and occasionally has glowing white eyes. At the end of his tail, there is a lighter pink fur that matches the mane. Lion's nose is brown.

Personality

Lion is an enigmatic character whose sentience and sapience is somewhat questionable. Much like a normal animal he rarely changes his expression, but for the most part he is quiet and docile. Though he can be considered a "pet" for Steven, Lion looks after himself and often "does his own thing". While Lion does not seem to acknowledge Steven most of the time, he does seem to understand Steven to a certain extent, responding whenever Steven needs him in enigmatic ways. This is shown in "Lion 2: The Movie" when he takes him and Connie to Rose's Secret Armory when he remarked how he was not "trained very well", or how he nearly smothered Steven's face to show him the dimension in his mane when he said he wanted to know more about his mother in "Lion 3: Straight to Video."

Abilities

Lion has a supersonic roar that can destroy/knock down brick structures, and open portals to places like Rose's Secret Armory, and he has been shown to be capable of leaping far distances. Lion has incredible stamina, as shown in "Ocean Gem" where Lion kept pace with Greg's van for a whole day while carrying Steven and Connie. Lion can also walk on water, and summon Rose's sword from his head/mane . This gives the impression that Rose Quartz is linked with Lion somehow. This is further supported when it is shown that Lion's mane is a portal to a pocket dimension filled with items Rose Quartz collected, such as her aforementioned sword, a photo of Rose and Greg, a videotape of Rose and Greg, a treasure chest, the T-shirt Greg gave Rose when they first met, a tattered flag with Rose's symbol, and an item in a Rose Quartz bubble.

Appearances

Season 1

"Steven's Lion" (debut)
"So Many Birthdays" (appears)
"Steven the Sword Fighter" (cameo)
"Lion 2: The Movie" (appears)
"Rose's Room" (cameo)
"Monster Buddies" (appears)
"An Indirect Kiss" (appears)
"Ocean Gem" (appears)
"Fusion Cuisine" (cameo)
"Lion 3: Straight to Video" (appears)
"The Test" (appears)
"Rose's Scabbard" (appears)
"The Message" (appears)
"The Return" (appears)
"Jail Break" (appears)

Season 2

"Full Disclosure" (appears)
"Say Uncle" (appears)
"Chille Tid" (mentioned)
"Cry for Help" (appears)
"Nightmare Hospital" (appears)
"Steven's Birthday" (appears)
"It Could've Been Great" (appears)

Season 3

"Same Old World" (cameo)
"Crack the Whip" (appears)
"Steven vs. Amethyst" (mentioned)
"Bismuth" (appears)
"Bubbled" (pictured)

Season 4

"Buddy's Book" (appears)

Season 5

"Lars' Head" (appears)
"Dewey Wins" (appears)
"Kevin Party" (appears)
"Lars of the Stars" (appears)
"Pool Hopping" (appears)
"Can't Go Back" (appears)
"Reunited" (appears)
"Legs From Here to Homeworld" (appears)
"Escapism" (appears)
"Change Your Mind" (appears)

Shorts

"Lion Loves to Fit in a Box" (appears)
"Unboxing" (appears)
"Cooking with Lion" (appears)
"Video Chat" (appears)

Trivia

The creator's, Rebecca Sugar's, pet cat is also named Lion.
Lion has the ability to create portals and walk on water as shown in "Lion 2: The Movie."
Lion's ability to teleport might have proven how he managed to follow them back to the temple in "Steven's Lion".
It's a distinct possibility that Lion could be Rose herself in the body of a lion, and kept this a secret from Steven and the Gems. In the movie "Kubo and the Two Strings", the character "Monkey" used to be a wooden charm before Kubo's mom used the last of her magic to bring Monkey to life. As the movie progressed, it is revealed that Monkey was really Kubo's mother the whole time. This same principle could apply for Lion given as how he has the exact same color scheme as Rose.