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Sarabi is the former queen of the Pride Lands. She is the mate of Mufasa, the mother of Simba, the Grand Mother of Kopa, Kiara and Kion.
She is a supporting character in The Lion King: Kopa's Story
Appearance[]
One of the largest queens to rule Pride Rock, Sarabi is tall and heavily built, noticeably larger than her fellow Pride Landers and able to stand nose height to Scar. She sports strong shoulders and a rectangular body, built for the hunt, and manages to put up a good fight against the hyenas even after being struck to the ground by Scar. Her face is long and round, but broader than those of the other lionesses, though her other facial features are delicate and soft.
In addition to being unusually grand in size, Sarabi sports a distinctive dark pelt broken only by patches of lighter fur on her muzzle, paws, and underbelly. Her nose is also dark, and her ears are rimmed with brown. Like Mufasa, she sports large orange eyes.
Sarabi passed many traits down to her son, including her colored paws, ear rims, and orange eyes. During early production of the film, Simba was drawn in many concept sketches with darker fur, making him look more like his mother. However, this was later changed so that Simba would more closely resemble Mufasa. Sarabi bears a striking resemblance to her granddaughter, Kiara.
Personality[]
Unlike Mufasa, who is gentle but firm in his guidance, Sarabi is softer, shown to be especially affectionate when dealing with her son, whom she is especially patient with. However, just like Mufasa, she guides Simba along his path to becoming king.
Not only is Sarabi gentle and soft-spoken, but she is also a doting mother who is not afraid to tease. Through her son's many kiddish complaints, she keeps a smile on her face, proving herself willing to embarrass him if she believes that she is serving his best interests. Despite her joking nature, Sarabi is wise enough to keep her family safe, willing to put barriers on Simba in order to keep him from harming himself and his friends. Her easygoing approach to parenting is not of an overly lenient nature but strict enough to keep Simba on the right track, rendering her just as protective of her son as Mufasa.
When bliss falls away from her beloved family and homeland, Sarabi proves her character by remaining strong through her grief, taking her place as the matriarch of her pride despite the devastating loss of her mate and son. As Scar's reign begins to crumble the land around her, Sarabi loses the joy she once had, replacing her easy smile with a distinctive frown that follows her from the hunt to the home. She becomes considerably cold, showing little reaction to the destruction around her, but always keeping a firm and strong face, perhaps for the benefit of her heartbroken pride.
When faced with Scar, an overbearing and unfair leader, Sarabi keeps her head held high, unaffected by the intimidating presence of her abounding enemies. Even when blamed for problems that are not her fault, Sarabi keeps her temper, remaining fair by refusing to take the blame for Scar's doings. She even goes so far as to suggest something radical for the good of her pride, risking harm in defying her misguided ruler in doing so. Though her temper typically remains cool and under control, she does let angry words fly when Scar refuses to take action in order to save his pride. In her rage, Sarabi reveals herself to be defiant and sharp-tongued, able to expertly hit Scar's weakness by comparing him to Mufasa.
Just as willing to evoke justice as she is to save her pride, Sarabi proves herself to be a fierce fighter, being the second lioness to leap into battle after Scar's admittance to killing Mufasa. Understandably vengeful, Sarabi's bravery and prowess expose themselves fully during the final battle, tearing away the impassive mask which she has been hiding behind throughout Scar's abuse. A seeker of justice, Sarabi fights for the rightful ruler of the Pride Lands and proudly accepts him as her new king.
Family[]
Mufasa: Mate
Simba: Son
Scar: Brother-in-law
Zira: Sister-in-law
Nuka: Nephew
Nala: Daughter-in-law
Kopa: Grandson
Kiara: Granddaughter
Kion: Grandson
History[]
Sarabi is first seen outside the den of Pride Rock with an infant Simba in her paws. Mufasa affectionately nuzzles her, and she licks the cub's head, revealing the prince to Rafiki. The old baboon anoints the cub, carrying him off as the king and queen look lovingly at each other, ready to watch their son be presented to the land. When Rafiki lifts the cub for all to see, Sarabi stands by Mufasa, watching the ceremony with pride.
She is later seen sleeping beside Mufasa as Simba tries to wake his father, telling him that their son is awake. Mufasa tries to stay asleep as long as possible, but eventually, they both relent. Sarabi walks by Mufasa, nudging Simba ahead after the cub stops to nuzzle his mother. She then watches fondly as both her mate and her son disappear up the summit.
After Simba is told about the Elephant Graveyard from Scar and comes to greet Nala, who is being cleaned by her mother Sarafina, Sarabi, previously snoozing on a small rock, wakes up, snatches Simba up and gives him a bath, amused at his attempts to get away. She inquires her son about the "cool place" that he's so eager to show Nala, and consents to the two cubs going to "the water hole." Knowing her son's mischievous nature, however, she is sure to send Zazu with them.
After the stampede, Sarabi is devastated over the deaths of her mate and son, and is seen being comforted by Zazu when the news is broken.
Years later, she is summoned by Scar to Pride Rock. The former queen strides fearlessly past the hyenas who growl and nip at her heels. Scar angrily questions her about why her hunting party refuses to do their job, and she replies that there's no prey left due to the hyenas, but Scar passes their failure off as not looking hard enough.
Sarabi states that there's nothing left and that they have to leave Pride Rock in order to survive, to which Scar replies, "We're not going anywhere." Sarabi points out that he is sentencing them to death, and Scar replies that he is the king and can do whatever he wants. Sarabi angrily replies, "If you were half the king Mufasa was you would-" She is cut short by Scar when he strikes her with his paw, causing the lioness to fall onto her side. Seeing this, Simba, who had been watching closely from a high rock, jumps down to defend his mother. She mistakes him for Mufasa at first but soon realizes that it's her long-lost son. Confused, she asks how this is possible. Simba replies to his mother that it doesn't matter because he has returned home. When the lionesses begin rising up against Scar and the hyenas, two lionesses are shown helping Sarabi up. When Scar pressures Simba into admitting that it is his fault that his father is dead, Sarabi says in a quiet voice, "It's not true. Tell me it's not true." Soon after, Scar admits that he killed Mufasa, and Sarabi and Nala are the first lionesses to lunge forward into battle.
Finally, after Scar and the hyenas are defeated, Sarabi nuzzles her victorious son, and proudly watches him take the Pride Lands back, accepting him as her new king.