Honestly, if you grew up with Simba and Nala, seeing Kion show up on screen felt like a weird fever dream at first. A second-born son with a magical roar? It sounded like fan fiction. But then you actually sit down and look at the lion guard list of episodes, and you realize Disney Junior actually pulled off something pretty ambitious. They didn't just make a "baby show." They built a bridge between the 1994 classic and the broader lore of the Pride Lands.
The show is massive. Between the pilot movie and the three distinct seasons, there are 74 episodes to sift through. If you're trying to find a specific moment—maybe the time Kiara almost got scorched in a fire or when Scar literally came back as a lava ghost—you need a roadmap.
The Beginning: Why the Return of the Roar Changed Everything
The whole thing kicked off in late 2015 with a television movie. Most people forget that The Return of the Roar isn't technically "Episode 1" in most streaming libraries, but it’s the literal foundation. We meet Kion. He's playful. He's a bit of a brat, honestly. But when his friend Bunga gets snatched by hyenas, Kion lets out this massive, cloud-shaping roar.
Suddenly, Rafiki is there, Mufasa is appearing in the clouds, and we learn about the "Lion Guard." It’s a group of five protectors. Traditionally, it was always five lions. Kion, being a bit of a rebel, decides he wants a honey badger, a hippo, an egret, and a cheetah. Simba is furious. The tension in those early entries of the lion guard list of episodes is actually grounded in real family dynamics. It’s about a father fearing his son isn't taking a legacy seriously.
The first season is mostly episodic. You have titles like "The Rise of Makuu" and "Bunga the Wise." It feels very "villain of the week." Janja the hyena is the main thorn in their side. You see the team learning to work together. Beshte is the muscle, Fuli is the speed, Ono is the "keenest of sight," and Bunga is... well, he’s "brave," which usually just means he has no impulse control.
When Things Get Dark: The Rise of Scar
Season 2 is where the show stops being just for toddlers. If you look at the lion guard list of episodes for this middle stretch, you’ll see a shift. It gets heavy. In the hour-long special The Rise of Scar, the Guard accidentally brings back the spirit of Scar.
David Oyelowo voiced Scar in this version, and he brought a genuine, chilling gravitas to the role. This wasn't the sassy Scar from the original movie; this was a vengeful spirit made of fire and smoke. He starts uniting the Outlanders—the crocodiles, the jackals, the vultures.
Some of the best episodes from this era include:
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- "The Kilio Valley Fire": It shows the real stakes of environmental disasters in the Pride Lands.
- "Rafiki's New Neighbors": A bit of a breather episode, but it builds the world.
- "The Fall of Mizimu Grove": This is where you realize the good guys can actually lose.
It’s a long season. Twenty-nine episodes total. By the time you get to the finale, "The Fire from the Sky," the war for the Pride Lands is in full swing. The animation quality actually takes a jump here too. The backgrounds look more like the 1994 film and less like a standard Saturday morning cartoon.
The Final Journey to the Tree of Life
Season 3 is a complete departure. It's basically a road trip. After a massive battle with Scar, Kion gets a nasty scar over his eye—sound familiar?—and the venom from a snake bite starts messing with his head. He’s losing his temper. He’s losing his "Roar."
The Guard has to travel across the globe to the Tree of Life to find a cure. This is where the lion guard list of episodes gets really interesting for hardcore fans. We leave the Pride Lands. We see different biomes. We see red pandas, snow leopards, and even a group of night-hunting lions called the Night Pride.
The episode "Battle for the Pride Lands" is technically the season premiere, but it’s 45 minutes of pure adrenaline. It’s the final showdown with Scar. Once that's done, the "journey" episodes take over. "The Ghost of the Mountain" and "The Dragon Island" feel like Avatar: The Last Airbender light.
Then you hit the series finale: "Return to the Pride Lands."
This is the big one. Kion returns home only to find that Zira (from The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride) has tried to take over. The show perfectly aligns its ending with the timeline of the second movie. It explains where Kion was while Kovu and Kiara were falling in love. It’s a clever bit of writing that fans didn't see coming.
Breaking Down the Numbers
If you're a completionist, you have to track these by production order or airing order. They aren't always the same.
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- Season 1: 28 Episodes (Started Jan 2016)
- Season 2: 29 Episodes (Started July 2017)
- Season 3: 18 Episodes (Started August 2019)
Totaling it up, you've got 75 distinct stories if you count the pilot movie. That is a lot of "Zuka Zama" to get through.
Why the Order of the List Matters for Lore
You can't really skip around in Season 3. If you do, you'll be totally lost. Why is Kion angry? Why is there a different bird with them? (Ono gets injured and Anga joins the crew). The continuity becomes much tighter as the show progresses.
The show also deals with some pretty mature themes for a Disney Junior project. Scar's return is basically a story about the lingering trauma of a dictatorship. Kion’s scar is a metaphor for struggling with inherited "darkness" or mental health struggles. He’s terrified he’s going to turn into his great-uncle. That’s deep stuff for a show that also features a farting honey badger.
How to Navigate the Episodes Today
Most people are watching this on Disney+ now. The library is usually sorted by season, but they sometimes lump the specials in weird places.
If you're looking for the "Essential" list to understand the story without watching every single "Bunga gets into trouble" filler episode, focus on these:
- The Return of the Roar (Pilot)
- "Rise of Makuu" (Introduces the crocodile conflict)
- "The Rise of Scar" (The big turning point)
- "The Scorpion’s Sting" (Kion’s first real failure)
- "The Fire from the Sky" (The war begins)
- "Battle for the Pride Lands" (The climax of the Scar arc)
- "The Tree of Life" (Arrival at the sanctuary)
- "Return to the Pride Lands" (The series finale)
Misconceptions About the Show
A lot of people think the Lion Guard isn't canon. While Disney's "canon" is always a bit flexible, the creators worked closely with the studio to ensure it didn't break the timeline of the original films. It’s meant to exist in the "in-between" years.
Another weird detail? The voice cast. You've got Rob Lowe as Simba and Gabrielle Union as Nala. James Earl Jones even returned to voice Mufasa in the pilot. That’s some serious star power for a show many people dismissed.
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The animation style also gets a bad rap. Yes, it’s 2D digital (Flash-based), so it doesn't have the hand-drawn weight of the 1994 film. But by the time you reach the Season 3 episodes, the lighting and the character designs for the new animals are actually pretty stunning.
Final Steps for the Ultimate Binge
If you're diving back into this world, don't just put it on in the background. Pay attention to the songs. Each episode has an original track. Some are admittedly "kinda" annoying, but others, like "Lions Over All" or "Path of Honor," are genuinely good Disney songs.
To make the most of your viewing:
- Watch the movies first: Specifically The Lion King and the first half of Simba's Pride.
- Track the "Roar" evolution: Note how the physical appearance of the roar changes as Kion gets more powerful (and more unstable).
- Look for the cameos: There are subtle nods to characters from the original film and even the Timon & Pumbaa spin-off show if you look closely enough at the background characters.
Whether you're a parent trying to keep a toddler busy or a nostalgic adult trying to fill the gaps in the Pride Lands history, the lion guard list of episodes offers a surprisingly rich experience. It’s more than just a toy commercial. It’s a story about leadership, the burden of legacy, and finding a place where you belong, even if you don't fit the "traditional" mold of a protector.
Take it one season at a time. The transition from the sunny, low-stakes vibes of Season 1 to the dark, high-stakes journey of Season 3 is one of the most interesting "glow-ups" in modern animation. Keep a list handy, skip the episodes that feel too "kiddy" if you need to, but definitely stick around for the finale. It ties the whole Lion King universe together in a way that feels incredibly satisfying.
Go through the Disney+ "Lion King Collection" section to find the specials that aren't listed in the standard episodic seasons. Cross-reference your watch list with production numbers to ensure you aren't seeing spoilers in the "Next Episode" thumbnails. Finally, pay close attention to the transition between the penultimate episode and the finale to see how seamlessly it weaves into the climax of the second movie.