Kiara

Kiara is the protagonist of the 1998 film, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride She is Simba and Nala's daughter and Kion's older sister.

Personality
Kiara inherits her parents' curiosity, and has gotten into trouble for wandering off. She is kind, wild and playful. She is also very headstrong, and she possesses a strong desire for independence and self-sufficiency.

Due to her independent spirit, her relationship with her over-protective father, Simba, is loving, but strained at times, thus putting her into a conflict with him. She also displayed frequent annoyance when addressed by her title preferring to be known for who she herself is rather than who her family is.

As a cub, Kiara is fairly naive, and she initially fails to understand the deeper meanings of her father's lessons, thus ignoring his advice, Kiara is also immature, as she does not take her duties as the Princess and the future Queen of the Pride Lands very seriously, who's personality contrasts with his brother, Kion's serious, and mature one.

As a young adult, she is able to successfully apply what her father has taught her to help bring peace between the two feuding prides, and Simba has finally accepted that she's old enough to make her decisions in life.

She also believed in reconciling the prides instead of destroying them, and saw her husband's inner thoughts and goodness unlike her father, who saw only a criminal.

She also showed a strong amount of charisma as she convinced both prides that they are better united than against each other.

She also possessed a large amount of heroism and selflessly blocked her mother-in-law. She also nobly tried to rescue her from falling to her death, having no desire to kill and only to save and forgive, but failed.

She forgave her husband and the Outsiders for their actions, having never had any intent to kill them. She also asked for no reward for her selfless actions. This proves that although she does not want to lead, she posses the traits, personality, qualities, and vision to lead, giving her the characteristics of a true queen.

Physical appearance
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 a newborn. Because she has no first-hand knowledge, she is far more accepting of them than her father is.

In terms of appearance, she seems to be a cross between her two parents: more similar in fur color to her father, with his red-brown eyes, while overall having qualities that resemble that of her mother. Kiara is small and slender, with a paler muzzle, and underside.

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
An infant Kiara 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 cub 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 seriously over-protective, begins going through an extensive list of warnings about safety of the Pridelands. Annoyed, Kiara is able to repeat them from memory, suggesting that she has heard them many times before and grows irritated. 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 the king 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 alone, and with prodding from Nala, Simba reluctantly agrees. However, he breaks his promise almost immediately, and sends Timon and Pumbaa to watch her. Kiara discovers them and is angered by her father's over-protective parenting. She runs away to hunt on her own, away from her father, and ends up in the midst of a wildfire set by Zira's other 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 "What are you 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 temporarily, pending a final judgement of character by Simba. Simba distrusts Kovu and forces Kovu 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 inadvertently and unknowingly interrupts Kovu's intended ambush of Simba. She 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. Kovu later attempts to tell Kiara about his place in Zira's plot (and his reluctance to assume his role) to take over the Pride lands, but is stopped by Simba, who wishes to speak with Kovu alone.

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 but is stopped by the other lionesses and silenced by Simba when she pleads for him to listen to Kovu. As Kovu flees, Rafiki who watching the event sighs sadly feeling that Simba has completely defied his father's goals and Simba was intoxicated to notice him. When Simba forbids her to leave Pride Rock unescorted, intending to keep her away from Kovu, Kiara is infuriated. Kiara argues with her father, going so far as to remind 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 cub 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 Pridelanders and Outsiders are at war.

Kiara and Kovu break up a fight between Simba and Zira who then tell them to step aside. Kiara persuades her pride and the Outsiders that their prides are no different from each other, and convinces the majority to drop the feud. However, Zira refuses to budge and attempts to attack Simba. Enraged 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 slips into the river below 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 Kovu and Kiara's union, and they are seen roaring across the plains with Simba and Nala.

The Lion Guard
Kiara appeares in the Disney Junior TV film The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar and series The Lion Guard, which sees her having a younger brother named Kion (whom she appears to have a sibling rivalry with), who serves as the protagonist. The series serves as a midquel to Simba's Pride as in teaser pictures and trailer, Kiara is shown as a cub rather than a young adult. She also seems older than her cub self in Simba's Pride and in a sneak peak, she reaches Simba's shoulder. In a sneak peek of the episode, Kiara seems to be snobbish and arrogant compared to her rather kind behavior in the sequel and Simba doens't seem to be overly protective of her as he is in the sequel. It's also shown another difference where Kiara seems to be alright with wanting to become the future Queen, while in Simba's Pride Kiara isn't sure of her future.

Kiara first appears in The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar at Pride Rock being taught about being Queen by Simba, only to be disrupted by Kion who is playing Baobab Ball with Bunga. The two siblings have a short squabble before being separated by Simba who sends Kion and Bunga away to play their game away elsewhere.

She is later seen with her friends Tiifu and Zuri with the latter getting her claws stuck in a log (due to constantly sharpening them), though she is later helped out. After hearing from Bunga that Kion is setting up a Lion Guard and has made Bunga the first member, Kiara questions Kion on if Simba knows about this to which Kion replies that it was Simba who told him to pick members. She, Kion, Tiifu, Zuri, Timon and Pumbaa then join in with Bunga singing "Zuka Zuma".

Later, Kiara tells Simba about Kion picking Bunga to join The Lion Guard and proves it when Zazu finds Kion and Bunga with Fuli, Beshte and Ono (whom Kion had also picked to join The Lion Guard). Simba thanks Kiara, before sending her and Tiifu to track gazelles while he has a word with Kion.

When tracking the gazelles, Kiara notices Mzingo circling above and Janja and his clan in the heart of the herd. Suspicious, Kiara sends Tiifu to get Simba while she stays behind to keep watch on the herd. However, Janja and his clan cause a stampede in the herd and Kiara becomes trapped in it.

Luckily, Kion and The Lion Guard come to her rescue by driving the hyenas away, before Bunga and Fuli ride through the herd to Kiara. Bunga then lands on a rock next to Kiara and lets out a fart that causes the herd to move away. After this, Kiara is delivered safely to Simba and Nala who along with Tiifu and Rafiki were watching the battle.

"The Rise of Makuu"
When Kion returns to Pride Rock and admits his misgivings about the mashindano between Makuu and Pua, Kiara asks her father why he can't interfere. Simba gently replies that although he is king, he must recognize and respect the traditions of other animals.

Kiara later witnesses the mashindano between Makuu and Pua, with her friends Tiifu and Zuri at her side. After the fight, she informs Kion that Zazu has reported that the giraffes have encroached on the baboon's forest.

After Kion deals with the problem, he returns to Pride Rock, where Kiara informs him that the baboons have taken over Pride Rock. She expresses annoyance at the antics of the baboons and chastises Ono for sweeping Bunga's stink toward her.

Trivia

 * Kiara in Italian and Irish means bright.
 * Kiara is the second child of an original film's protagonist to be the main character of the sequel (in this case, taking over from Simba and Nala after the first Lion King film). The first was Nikki Ferris from The Parent Trap II (taking over from Sharon McKendrick). The trend has since followed in many Disney sequels.
 * In the first Lion King film, according to the bonus features and some series of books, Kiara was previously going to be a male character, but was changed.
 * In The Lion King 1½ DVD, if the viewer plays the Who Wants to Be King of the Jungle game, one of the questions about the ending of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride implies that Kiara and Kovu possibly have a cub together.
 * Kiara is referred to as Princess Kiara, however Simba was never referred to as a prince, only "the future king" or "Mufasa's boy".
 * She stops Zira's plot indirectly and unwittingly, not even encountering her again after she meets her as a child, until all the way to the end of the movie. The fact she stops it indirectly, unknowingly and unwittingly makes her the one of the few, if only, Disney protagonists to stop the antagonist's plan unwittingly.
 * Kiara is the first female cub in her family set to inherit the throne of the Pride Lands, as her father was an only child (making him the only heir), and all of her predecessors to the throne had been male heirs.
 * It is currently unknown what the age gap between Kiara and Kion is. Whether they are twins (with Kiara being the elder twin) or that they were born a few months apart from each other, it has not yet been confirmed.