Zira is a lioness. She is the mate of Scar, the mother of Nuka, and the former leader of the Outsiders. She is currently an Evil Spirit of the Past.
Appearance[]
Zira has a dark coloration, a trait shared by all the Outsiders. Her fur is grayish-tan, with a cream muzzle, underbelly, and paws. She has red eyes, black eyebrows, dark brown upper eye shades and eyelids, a pointed triangular nose, one notched ear, and a dark stripe down the center of her head. Like Scar and all the Outsiders, she has black claws.
Personality[]
Zira is opportunistic, cynical, and imposing, letting her emotions control her constantly, which usually leads to her launching into venomous rants and invective. She seems to be patient, as she was willing to wait until Kovu reached adulthood before putting her plans into motion.However, despite her strengths, she suffers the same downfall as Scar; her hatred blinds her. Even though Zira is cruel, she does have a bit of a soft side. Additionally, she believes that lions should rule with an iron fist as opposed to being benevolent to all living creatures. She does not have much respect for the Circle of Life. She can be violent and even ruthless enough to kill a cub or her own her own children if they do not do her bidding.
History[]
Backstory[]
Zira was once a Pride Lander who lived during Mufasa's reign as part of his pride. When she was younger, she met Akili, Mufasa's brother and the leader of the Lion Guard. The two formed a close friendship, during which Akili taught Zira everything about the Roar of the Elders, a power he had as the second-born of the Royal Family, and Zira came to greatly admire him to the point of believing he should be king. After Akili, now Scar, became king following the death of Mufasa, he selected Zira as his mate, and she gave birth to his son, Nuka. Zira never believed Nuka was good enough, often belittling the lion throughout most of his life afterward.
When Simba, Mufasa's son, returned from his exile and defeated Scar in their battle to the death, he reclaimed his position as king and restored the Pride Lands to its former glory. Nevertheless, Zira refused to acknowledge Simba as king, blaming him for the murder of her mate. She insisted that Kovu was Scar's rightful heir, despite Kovu's lack of blood relation to the former king, leading to Simba's attempt to explain to her that Scar was never truly king. The two fought, with Simba emerging victorious. As a result of Zira's betrayal, he exiled her, her son, and the lionesses who were still loyal to Scar like her, noting that the penalty for their return would cost them their lives. Zira was exiled to the Termite Mounds in the Outlands, where she raised Nuka and trained Kovu to take Simba's place as the next king.
Her planning worked well, as Kovu carried out his plans to take out Simba. However, things were derailed when Kovu fell in love with Kiara, Simba's daughter, and betrayed the Outsiders in order to protect the king. After Nuka was crushed by a fallen log in an effort to prove himself to Zira, she was devastated, and blaming Kovu for the death of her son, she scarred him over the eye and forced him out of the gorge. Zira quickly declared war against Simba and his pride, meeting them in a rainstorm near the gorge and engaging in a clash. Just before Zira could lunge at Simba and kill him, Kovu and Kiara intervened, declaring that both sides were one and were meant to be unified. While Simba was distracted speaking to Kiara, Zira ordered her strongest warrior, Vitani, to kill him. She refused to obey her, and she, along with every other Outsider, chose to stand beside Simba. At her last straw with the betrayal of her followers, Zira lunged at Simba, only to be intercepted by Kiara, and they tumbled into the gorge. Stuck in a precarious position on a cliff face, Zira did not heed Kiara's attempts to rescue her and fell to her death, drowning in the gorge's rushing river and joining the Evil Spirits of the Past.
Family[]
Trivia[]
- Nuka refers to her as "Mother."
- Zira is voiced by Nika Futterman.
- Zira bears somewhat of a resemblance to Ubaya, though they are not related in any way.