He’s the son Simba never talked about. For years, fans of The Lion King were stuck in a bit of a continuity nightmare. The Lion King II: Simba's Pride gave us Kiara, the headstrong heir to the Pride Lands. But then, Disney Junior dropped a bombshell in 2015 with The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar. Suddenly, there’s a younger brother named Kion. He has a flaming red mohawk and a magical roar that literally summons the spirits of past kings.
It felt weird at first.
How do you just "forget" to mention a prince who leads a paramilitary group of animals? Honestly, the initial reaction from the hardcore fandom was mixed. People thought it was just a preschool cash-grab. But if you actually sit down and watch the progression from the pilot to the final showdown at the Tree of Life, you’ll realize that Kion and The Lion Guard did something the sequels never could. They expanded the mythology of the Pride Lands into a genuine epic.
The Roar of the Elders is Kinda Terrifying
Let’s talk about the Roar. It isn’t just a loud noise. It’s a supernatural force that can level forests or send a pack of hyenas flying into the next zip code. Kion discovers this power when his best friend, a honey badger named Bunga, gets cornered by Janja’s clan.
Rafiki explains that Kion is the new leader of the Lion Guard, a tradition that goes back generations. The twist? Most Lion Guards were, well, lions. Kion ignores that. He recruits a cheetah (Fuli), a hippo (Beshte), an egret (Ono), and Bunga. They’re the "defenders of the Circle of Life."
But the Roar has a dark side. We learn that Scar—yes, that Scar—was once the leader of his own Lion Guard. He lost the power because he used it for evil. Specifically, he used it to murder his own team when they wouldn't help him overthrow Mufasa. This adds a layer of genuine stakes to Kion’s journey. Every time he gets angry, you see that flicker of fear in Simba’s eyes. Simba isn't just being a protective dad; he’s terrified his son is going to turn into his uncle.
Bridging the Gap Between the Movies
The biggest hurdle for the show was fitting into the existing timeline. Simba's Pride starts with Kiara as a cub and ends with her as an adult. Kion and The Lion Guard takes place almost entirely within the "gap" of the second movie.
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If you look closely at the middle of The Lion King II, there’s a massive time jump. That’s where Kion lives.
The showrunners were actually pretty smart about this. They brought back Ford Riley to oversee the narrative, ensuring that the conflict with the Outlanders—Zira’s pride—felt consistent. We see Zira. We see a young Kovu. We even see the moment the Lion Guard leaves the Pride Lands, which conveniently explains why they aren't around for the final battle between Simba and Zira. They were on a literal trek across the continent to find a cure for a venomous snake bite.
Why the Final Season Changed Everything
Season 3 of the show is a massive departure. It stops being an episodic "villain of the week" show and turns into a serialized road trip.
Kion gets scarred. Not just physically, but mentally. After a fight with the ghost of Scar (who is voiced by David Oyelowo and is genuinely menacing), Kion is bitten by a cobra named Ushari. The venom messes with his head. He starts losing control of the Roar. He becomes irritable and aggressive.
The team has to travel to the Tree of Life, a sanctuary for sick or injured animals. This is where the show stops being a kid's cartoon and starts dealing with some heavy themes.
- Trauma and recovery.
- The burden of leadership.
- Finding a place where you belong when your "home" already has a ruler.
At the Tree of Life, Kion meets Rani, the leader of the Night Pride. This is a big deal because it solves the "spare heir" problem. Kiara is the Queen of the Pride Lands. Kion, eventually, becomes the King of the Tree of Life. It’s a clean break that respects the original films while giving Kion his own legacy.
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Dealing With the "Preschool" Stigma
Look, it’s on Disney Junior. There are songs. There is a lot of "Zuka Zama" being shouted. But if you can get past the bright colors, the world-building is top-tier.
They introduced the idea that the "Great Kings of the Past" aren't just stars in the sky—they are active participants. Mufasa shows up constantly to give Kion advice. It turns the Pride Lands from a simple savanna into a magical landscape where the environment itself reacts to the morality of its inhabitants. When the Circle of Life is out of balance, the land literally withers.
Real-world ecology is also baked into the scripts. They worked with animal experts at Disney’s Animal Kingdom to make sure the behaviors (mostly) lined up. While a honey badger probably wouldn't be best friends with a lion, their "don't care" attitude is 100% scientifically accurate.
The Scar Backstory We Didn't Know We Needed
The show gave us a definitive origin for Scar’s name. In the episode "The Path of Honor," we find out that a strange lion lured a young Scar (then known as Askari) into a trap involving a venomous snake. The snake bit him, and the venom—the same kind Kion eventually deals with—turned him bitter and cruel.
The tragedy is that Mufasa laughed at him. He gave him the nickname "Scar" as a joke.
This doesn't excuse Scar's later genocidal tendencies, but it provides a psychological roadmap for his descent into villainy. It also makes Kion’s struggle in the final season much more poignant. Kion is literally fighting against the same biological and emotional rot that destroyed his great-uncle.
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Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Collectors
If you're looking to dive back into this world or introduce it to someone else, here is the best way to handle the Kion and The Lion Guard experience without getting lost in the "toddler" filler.
Watch the "Lore" Episodes First
You don't need all 70+ episodes to get the story. Focus on the "Battle for the Pride Lands" special and the entirety of Season 3. These hold the most weight for adult fans of the original trilogy.
Pay Attention to the Voice Cast
The production value was surprisingly high. You’ve got Rob Lowe as Simba, Gabrielle Union as Nala, and even Ernie Sabella returning as Pumbaa. The continuity in the voice acting helps the show feel like a "real" part of the franchise rather than a cheap spin-off.
The Music is Actually Great
Christopher Willis did the score, and Beau Black handled the songs. "Sisi Ni Sawa" (We Are the Same) is a standout track that explains the philosophy of the show better than any dialogue. It’s about the bridge between predators and prey.
Check the Books for Extra Context
There are several tie-in books like The Rise of Scar that flesh out the spirits of the past. If you're a lore hunter, these are where the deeper "historical" details of the Lion Guard are hidden.
Understand the Ending
The show ends with Kion's coronation at the Tree of Life. This officially marks the end of the "Simba era" of the franchise. It leaves the door open for future stories that don't have to rely on the 1994 original's cast.
Ultimately, Kion represents the growth of a brand. He took The Lion King from a single story about a prince coming home and turned it into a sprawling universe with its own rules, magic, and history. Whether you like the "magical roar" aspect or not, the show successfully filled the holes in a 30-year-old story, and that’s no small feat for a cartoon about a bunch of talking animals.