Kiara

Kiara is the main protagonist of the 1998 film, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, the sequel to The Lion King. She is the daughter of Simba and Nala, granddaughter of Mufasa, Sarabi, and Sarafina, and thus is the princess and future queen of the Pride Lands. She was voiced by Michelle Horn as a cub, and by Neve Campbell as a young adult.

Background
Shortly after her birth, Kiara was presented in a magnificent and joyous ceremony to the animals gathered at Pride Rock as their future queen and ruler. Initially, she seems to have no knowledge of the Outsiders, or why they're so dangerous, implying that the events of their banishment happened either before she was born or while she was an infant. Thus, she is far more accepting of them than her father is. Appearance-wise, she seems to be a cross between her two parents.

Kiara inherits her parents' curiosity, and has gotten into trouble for wandering off. She is kind, wild, mischievous, playful, and a tomboy, but is also very headstrong, and she possesses a strong desire for independence and being on her own. Due to her independent spirit, her relationship with her over-protective father, Simba, is loving, but strained at times, thus putting them into a conflict with each other. As a cub, Kiara is fairly naive, and she initially fails to completely understand her father's lessons. However, as a young adult, she learns the meaning behind the words and is able to apply what her father has taught her to help bring peace between the two feuding prides.

The Lion King
Kiara very briefly appears at the end of the film where she is presented by Rafaki to the animals.

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
Canonically, Kiara first appears as an infant in the end of The Lion King. Later, she appears at the beginning of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, during her presentation to the animals. Timon and Pumbaa comment on how great it will be to relive old times with the cub, whom they believe to be a boy. They are understandably shocked when Rafiki reveals that Simba and Nala's new kid is a girl.

Kiara grows into a playful cub, and her next appearance takes place as she is going out to play. Before she can leave, Simba, who becomes highly over-protective, begins going through an extensive list of warnings about safety of the Pridelands. Kiara, annoyed, is able to repeat them from memory, suggesting that she has heard them many times before. Simba's final warning is to stay away from the Outlands, home of the villainous Outsiders, because in his words, "You can't turn your back on them." Kiara doesn't understand why, but Simba simply tells her that she will understand one day and sends her off. She goes off, but is followed by Timon and Pumbaa, whom Simba has sent to baby-sit her. When the two get into a disagreement, Kiara is able to slip away. She wanders into the Outlands, where she meets Kovu, a young cub who is one of the Outsiders as well as Scar's chosen heir. Remembering Simba's words about Outsiders, she takes them literally, and continually positions herself so that her back is not to Kovu. The two cubs are forced to work together to escape some crocodiles, and become friends as a result. She plays with him for a time, but the two are forcibly separated by Simba and a gang he brought with him, and Kovu's mother Zira, a follower of Scar who was banished from the Pride Lands.

Kiara is taken home by Simba, where he scolds her for putting herself in danger, noting that as future queen, she needs to be careful. When Kiara expresses her reluctance at becoming queen, Simba explains how they are connected, saying that they are one. Once again, the concept goes over Kiara's head, and Simba simply tells her that she will understand some day. Sometime after, while at his tree, Rafiki notes to Mufasa's spirit that Kiara is growing into a great future queen, but he worries about Kovu, who is being trained by Zira to hate. Mufasa is able to communicate a plan to Rafiki, using a broken gourd as an example. If Kiara and Kovu are brought together, then the feud between the two prides can be solved. Rafiki doubts the plan at first, but agrees to trust Mufasa after some convincing.

Kiara is next seen as a young adult, preparing for her first hunt. She expresses her desire to hunt on her own, and with prodding from Nala, Simba reluctantly agrees. However, Simba breaks his promise almost immediately, and he sends Timon and Pumbaa to watch her. Kiara discovers them and is angered by her father's over-protective nature. She runs away to hunt on her own, and ends up in the midst of a wildfire set by two of Zira's children, Vitani and Nuka. Kiara tries to escape, but is overcome by smoke, and is saved by Kovu. She comes to but does not recognize him at first, only realizing his identity when he asks her what she is doing, in a reference to their first meeting.

Simba and Nala arrive to their daughter's aid, as they had seen the smoke from the fire. Kovu asks to join the pride, but Simba refuses. Rafiki appears, and reveals that Kovu had saved Kiara's life. This knowledge doesn't affect Simba's decision initially, but Simba allows Kovu to join on a trial basis after both Nala and Zazu remind him that Pride Lands law states that they owe Kovu a debt for saving Kiara. Kovu is allowed to return to Pride Rock, but is forced to sleep outside. At Pride Rock, Kovu points out that Kiara's hunting skills are rather lackluster, and that she could not survive on her own. In response, Kiara convinces Kovu to teach her to hunt. The next day, Kiara and Kovu spend the day together as Kiara learns to hunt, and later the two are seen stargazing together. With some subtle prodding from Rafiki, the two begin to fall in love.

She later sees her father, obviously injured, coming from an ambush by the Outsiders. Kiara disbelieves that Kovu was involved, when Simba accuses him. She sends Zazu for help, and helps her father back to Pride Rock. Kiara is later seen at Kovu's banishment, and she actively protests her father's decision. When Simba forbids her to leave Pride Rock, as he intends to keep her away from Kovu, Kiara is infuriated. Kiara argues with her father, even defying him that he could never be like Mufasa, horrifying him.

Kiara manages to slip away and meets up with Kovu. Though Kovu considers running away to form their own pride, Kiara understands her father's words from when she was a kid upon seeing her and Kovu's reflections merge in the water. She convinces Kovu to return so that they may try to reunite their divided prides, and the two return to find that the Pride Landers and Outsiders are at war. Kiara and Kovu break up a fight between Simba and Zira. Kiara persuades her pride and the Outsiders that their prides are one and should not fight. However, Zira refuses to budge and attempts to attack Simba. Kiara leaps to defend him and the two lionesses fall off a cliff. Kiara is able to land on a safe ledge, and she attempts to save Zira, who is clinging to the side of the cliff. Zira refuses, and falls into a river and is presumed dead. Simba leads Kiara back up the ledge and allows the Outsiders to return to Pride Rock. At the end of the movie, Rafiki blesses Kiara and Kovu's union, and they are seen roaring across the plains with Simba and Nala.

Kingdom Hearts II
{C Kiara appeared only at the ending credits of Kingdom Hearts II as a newborn cub.

Trivia

 * Kiara is the second offspring of a predecessor's protagonist to take over as the main character in a sequel (taking over for Simba and Nala for the first "Lion King" film), the first being Nikki Ferris from The Parent Trap II (taking over from Sharon McKendrick), the third being Melody from The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (taking over for Ariel), the fourth being Scamp from Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure (taking over for Lady), the fifth being Jane from Return to Never Land (taking over for Wendy), the sixth being Patch from 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (taking over for both Pongo and Perdita) and the seventh being Sam Flynn from TRON: Legacy (taking over for Kevin Flynn).
 * Kiara's name means "princess" in Swahili, in Irish, it means "dark" and in Italian it means "light"

Gallery
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