Difference between revisions of "Kovu"

Revision as of 18:35, 27 December 2010

Kovu
Kovu
Meaning	Scar
Species	Lion
Close Relations	Mate of Kiara, Adopted Son of Scar, Son of Zira, Brother of Nuka and Vitani, Son-in-law of Simba and Nala
Information
Appearances	The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
Voice Actor(s)	Ryan O'Donohue (cub), Jason Marsden (adult), Gene Miller (adult singing voice)

"I know he's following in Scar's pawprints."

—Simba, talking to Kiara about Kovu

Kovu is Scar's adopted heir.

Physical Attributes

"Maybe there's a darkness in me too."

—Kovu

Kovu is a brown-colored lion with a dark brown mane and tail-tip and a muscular build. His eyes are emerald green with yellow scleras. As an adult he has a scar over his left eye that he received from Zira.

Info

"Father, I am lost. Kovu is one of them. Scar's heir. How can I accept him?"

—Simba, trying to seek advice from Mufasa about Kovu

Kovu is the son of Zira and an unknown lion in the fictional Lion King universe. He is also a half-brother of Nuka and half-brother to Vitani. He was originally intended to be the son of Scar but this was changed as this would make him related to Kiara, Simba's daughter. Instead, he became Scar's adopted son. Scar chose Kovu as the lion to follow in his paw prints and become king of the Pride Lands. He is voiced by Ryan O'Donohue.

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride

Cub Kovu

"Oh, haven't you met my son, Kovu? He was hand-chosen by Scar to follow in his pawprints, and become King!"

—Zira to Simba

Kovu is a cub in the part of Simba's pride that has been exiled to the Outlands due to their remaining loyalty to Scar. Zira (Kovu's mother) and her pride's loyalty to Scar do not actually make sense as in the first film, as when Simba returns from his life in the jungle, all the lionesses fight on his side and only the hyenas side with Scar. (Zira is non-existent in the first film as are Kovu, Nuka, Vitani and the lionesses who will make up her future pride).

When he first appears in the film he is out with his brother Nuka (although later we find out he went off on his own and Nuka left him and went back home.) when Kiara tumbles down from a log and crashes into him. Kovu reacts aggressively at first but soon begins to tease Kiara for being "daddy's little girl". As the two wander to a body of water they are attacked by crocodiles. The cubs evade the crocodiles and began to play, but are interrupted by Zira and Simba. The two confront each other, before picking up their cubs and leaving.

Later, Zira yells at Kovu for being friendly towards a Pridelander. Kovu says that he thought that he and Kiara could become friends. Zira forms a plan to get Kovu into the Pride Lands and kill Simba when he has gained enough trust. Meanwhile, Simba tells Kiara that they are "one".

Kovu and Kiara

Adult Kovu

"Nice... very nice. You have the same blackness in your soul that Scar had."

—Zira, examining the grown-up Kovu

Zira trains and conditions Kovu until he is grown. She sends him out to kill Simba along with Vitani and Nuka, who start a fire while Kiara is out on her first hunt. When the fire has taken hold, Zira sends Kovu out into the fire to rescue Kiara. Kovu manages to save Kiara and is confronted by Simba again, who reluctantly allows Kovu to join the pride.

Kovu makes fun of Kiara's amateur hunting skills at first, but later agrees to help her.

That night, Kovu appears in Simba's climatic nightmare. Simba attempts to help Mufasa from the gorge in which he died in the first film. Scar appears on the ledge, mocking and cackling at Simba's inability to help his father. After Mufasa falls Scar morphs into Kovu and kills Simba, and Simba wakes. The next day, Kovu prepares to attack Simba while Simba is alone and drinking from the water hole, but Kiara interrupts him to begin the hunting lesson. The pair soon stumble upon Timon and Pumbaa who are trying to chase some birds away from their favorite feeding site. The two lions roar, scattering the birds. They all chase the birds until angering a crash of rhinoceroses. In escaping from the rhinos, Kovu and Kiara accidentally kiss.

That night Kovu and Kiara lie under stars and look at star formations. This leads them to offhandedly start talking about Kovu's past. Kiara starts to nuzzle him when he expresses his fear of becoming like Scar, but Kovu leaves when he is unable to tell her his true intentions. Rafiki intervenes and takes them to a place called Upendi, which means "love" in Swahili.

Kiara and Kovu

As they venture back to Pride Rock, Kovu has Simba on his own. Now seeing a better life with Kiara in the Pride Lands, he refuses to attack Kiara's father. Vitani waits for Kovu to attack, and reports back to an angry Zira when he doesn't.

The next morning, Kovu resolves to confess to Kiara his true reasons for coming to the Pride Lands and he has abandoned the plot. However, before Kovu can do so, Simba takes Kovu out for a walk through the fire-ravaged Pride Lands. As they walk, they discuss the true nature of Scar, but they are ambushed by Zira and the Outlanders. Zira congratulates Kovu, but Kovu panics as he realizes he inadvertently completed the plot he abandoned. Kovu attempts to save Simba, but one of the Outsiders knocks him into a rock, rendering him unconscious.

Simba is attacked and falls into a gorge where a log dam is holding back the river. Simba climbs the log dam to safety and Kovu has a chance to attack him, but doesn't. Nuka, wanting to impress Zira, climbs the log dam and manages to grab Simba's ankle, but is killed when some logs dislodge and crush him. Zira blames Nuka's death on Kovu and slashes him across the face, giving Kovu a scar resembling Scar's. As Zira demands to her son to admit his responsibility for killing his brother, Kovu's stands up to his mother for the first time and runs back to the Pride Lands, where he is promptly exiled by Simba.

Kiara, distraught, runs away to find Kovu. The two meet in the grasslands and proclaim their love that transcends their pride's rivalry. Kovu wishes to run away with Kiara to start their own pride. Kiara refuses, saying that they must return to try and unite their divided prides. They both run back to the Pride Lands, crossing the log dam that has now been weakened, attempting to stop a fight between the two prides. Kovu and Kiara stop the fight, but Zira leaps at Simba. Kiara knocks her aside and the two tumble into a gorge where Zira refuses to take Kiara's paw and falls into the river and drowns (although in the original planning Zira lets go of the cliff and commits suicide, this idea was thrown out because the creators didn't think kids could handle the act of suicide).

The now united prides return to Pride Rock where Kovu and Kiara are married with him becoming her prince consort. With order restored, Simba, Nala, Kiara and Kovu roar out across the kingdom while the spirit of Mufasa praises his son for his wisdom.

Trivia

• He was originally scripted as the son of Scar, but realizing the incestuous undertones this would have had with his romance with Kiara (as Kovu would have been her first cousin, once removed), it was scrapped and clarified that he had no relation to Scar, and was his adopted son.