Kion (I LOVE this little fella)

[ScarLoyal]

I LOVE Kion's design, it's just so unique and a wonderful BLEND of Mufasa, Sarabi, and 'even' Zira!
But since he has Zira's 'ear-strips' and 'bright highlights running through his very 'slick' Scar-esque mane.
Does that mean Zira is Simba's biological aunt? And what are the origins of his 'spots'? Perhaps this is a taste of what Nala's father looked like? And i don't know about you, but he seems to have 'white' eye-whites instead of the 'usual yellow'.
It kinda reminds me of that small 'error' Disney made of Simba when he was with Rafiki..

You have NO idea how excited i was to see that there was another TLK coming.
And what also made me excited was that Disney FINALLY wanted to prove the kopa fans wrong, its about time! His 'ear-strips' also helps prove my theory that Zira and Sarabi are sisters.. I just, can't.. Thank you so much Disney for this wonderful surprise..!
What did y'all think of this?

[TheLionPrince]

But since he has Zira's 'ear-strips' and 'bright highlights running through his very 'slick' Scar-esque mane.
Does that mean Zira is Simba's biological aunt?

No. In the movie universe, male cubs usually have ear rims that fade away by the time they are adults. Cub Simba had them:



While older than cub Simba, cub Kovu still has his ear rims, though they are more thin:



As far as we know, Zira is not related to Simba. The director of Simba's Pride confirmed that Zira had an obscure relationship with Scar when it was thought a movie about incestuous cousins (with Zira as Scar's mate) would be inappropriate for a Disney movie. Nothing in the movie hints she is the sister of Mufasa or Sarabi thus an aunt relationship to Simba is non-existent.

And what are the origins of his 'spots'?

Lion cubs are born with spots that usually fade into adulthood. The spots on Kion are most likely leftovers from his birth that have yet to fade.

His 'ear-strips' also helps prove my theory that Zira and Sarabi are sisters.. I just, can't..

No, it doesn't. Ear rims seem to be natural for male lion cubs to have, and adult Sarabi and Vitani seem to have them, but that doesn't mean they are related.

[S1mb4 D4 L10n]

Lion cubs are born with spots that usually fade into adulthood. The spots on Kion are most likely leftovers from his birth that have yet to fade.

When I read the announcement I thought it hinted at that the birth mark was more than, well, just a birthmark. It seems to glow in this picture.


Could this mean it does something more than just sit there like a tatoo, I dont know. No one will know until there is more info so we just have to wait.

[TheLionPrince]

Lion cubs are born with spots that usually fade into adulthood. The spots on Kion are most likely leftovers from his birth that have yet to fade.

When I read the announcement I thought it hinted at that the birth mark was more than, well, just a birthmark. It seems to glow in this picture.


Could this mean it does something more than just sit there like a tatoo, I dont know. No one will know until there is more info so we just have to wait.

I wasn't referring to the pawprint mark on his shoulder, but the spots on the back of his legs. Look closely at the picture and you'll see them. I'm not positively sure what is the purpose of Kion's pawprint mark, but we'll have to wait and see.

[DGFone]

The markings on the back of his legs are the same paw print, but smaller.

I still think that they could have come up with a better name. Sure, as Regulus pointed out, most fanf-fic authors are incredibly unoriginal when it comes to translating the same fifty words and therefore getting back a name that we've all seen before.

But come on, Disney is a huge company with loads of resources. They can afford a few more seconds to find a Swahilli name that wasn't already done to death. It's called don't input a flashy word into Google Translate.

[ScarLoyal]

No. In the movie universe, male cubs usually have ear rims that fade away by the time they are adults. Cub Simba had them:

Well, yes that is true. but Simba never had a weird combination of Zira and Sarabi's ear-rims.

While older than cub Simba, cub Kovu still has his ear rims, though they are more thin:

But who's to say that his ear-rims will get thin or fade away? Maybe Kion will take more after his grandmother?

As far as we know, Zira is not related to Simba.

But that STILL doesn't mean that Zira not at all related to Simba, it's mostly about Zira's relation to Scar and therefore being his aunt by marriage, BUT i believe that to be wrong and therefore 'possibly' simba's aunt by blood. It couldn't be THAT bad could it? But of course we'll have to see.

No, it doesn't. Ear rims seem to be natural for male lion cubs to have, and adult Sarabi and Vitani seem to have them, but that doesn't mean they are related.[/quote]
But the point is, Kion is THE son of Simba and while obviously he'll inherit his grandmother's traits and grandfather's, BUT to inherit Zira's ear-strips that EVEN Vitani or Nuka never had, seems a little fishy to me.. Besides, Disney might retcon it and change the relations, I mean maybe I DON'T know, but you can't possibly know either.
It would be interesting if Sarabi and Zira were sisters though, wouldn't it? It'd certainly be great for the plot IMHO.

[TheLionPrince]

But that STILL doesn't mean that Zira not at all related to Simba, it's mostly about Zira's relation to Scar and therefore being his aunt by marriage, BUT i believe that to be wrong and therefore 'possibly' simba's aunt by blood. It couldn't be THAT bad could it? But of course we'll have to see.

I'm not saying it's bad, but the director of Simba's Pride confirmed Zira is not Scar's mate, but merely Scar's follower. So your theory about Zira being Simba's aunt by marriage to Scar is not inconsistent with the director's vision therefore not consistent with the movies. In the movie, Zira never mentions she is related to Sarabi. So, in the end, you can keep your theories however you like, but I fail to see how Kion's ear rims validates your theory that Zira and Sarabi are sisters.

No, it doesn't. Ear rims seem to be natural for male lion cubs to have, and adult Sarabi and Vitani seem to have them, but that doesn't mean they are related.

But the point is, Kion is THE son of Simba and while obviously he'll inherit his grandmother's traits and grandfather's, BUT to inherit Zira's ear-strips that EVEN Vitani or Nuka never had, seems a little fishy to me.. Besides, Disney might retcon it and change the relations, I mean maybe I DON'T know, but you can't possibly know either.

Vitani, by the time she is an adult, actually has ear rims:



To conclude all of this, you're right that Kion is carrying on the ear rim traits that Simba had and received from his parents, but bringing Zira into the fold is a bit of stretch given she is not genetically related to them from what's told to us by the movies and their filmmakers.

The markings on the back of his legs are the same paw print, but smaller.

Oh, is it now?

[Carl]

^She's not talking about the ear rims when referencing Zira, she's talking about the black strip (hiding in the shadow) under the upper fold of the ear, not down the whole ear. It is a trait that only Zira had, prior to Kion.

However, that doesn't mean Zira is related to Kion, and I don't think she is Sarabi's sister. Also, this is in the wrong section.

[TheLionPrince]

^She's not talking about the ear rims when referencing Zira, she's talking about the black strip (hiding in the shadow) under the upper fold of the ear, not down the whole ear. It is a trait that only Zira had, prior to Kion.

Actually, you're incorrect. The pictures I posted of Simba, Kovu, and adult Vitani each have brown coloring on the upper fold of their ears. It was not a trait mutually exclusive to Zira.

Nuka and cub Vitani had them:



Nala and Kiara have it on their ears:



Another reason why it would be incorrect for Zira and Sarabi to be sisters is that it would make Zira Simba's aunt, and Kovu would be Simba's cousin and Kiara's second cousin once removed. The filmmakers of Simba's Pride ensured that Kovu is not Scar's son so Kovu and Kiara would not be related so another alternative cousin relationship would never be their intention.

[Carl]

^ Those pictures are showing shadows--not a marking. On Kion and Zira it is actually black. None of the shading is black. On the other characters, it is not black, and doesn't look like anything other than shading, because that's all it is. Zira and Kion have it in addition to the shading the other characters have. Look at them a bit closer. Regardless, Zira is not Simba's aunt.