Hayabusa the Falcon

Hayabusa the Falcon (隼獵鷹) is the secondary antagonist in Disney's 1998 animated feature film Mulan. A foreboding predator with a hatred for China, he is Shan Yu's loyal pet and an integral member of the Hun Army.

Background
Hayabusa is Shan Yu's pet falcon and sidekick. The bird often acts as a warning signal, alerting China's victims that Shan Yu is near. He appears to be similar to his master: strict, ruthless, and vicious. He latches onto his prey or whatever he needs to carry with his steely talons (as he did with Shan Yu's sword when Shang handed it to the Emperor). Though not as anthropormorphic as Cri-Kee or even Khan, Hayabusa has exhibited understanding of his evil deeds—first when Shan Yu "congratulated" the Imperial scouts for finding the Hunn army, and again when Shan Yu and the surviving Huns emerged from the avalanche and began their pursuit of the Emperor. In both cases, Hayabusa was shown smiling wickedly.

Mulan
At the film's opening, Hayabusa is first seen soaring over the Great Wall of China, alerting the Chinese guards that Shan Yu and his army are attacking. He returns to Shan Yu's side as he allows a guard to light the sentries. Hayabusa is next seen flying overhead as the city burns. Later on, Hayabusa collects a doll from a Chinese village. By analyzing the doll, Shan Yu and his Elite Huns realize that the Imperial Army awaits them in a small village located in the quickest passageway to the Imperial City.

The falcon later joins Shan Yu and the Huns during the snowy mountain battle. When Mulan prepares to launch a missile into the side of a mountain to stop the advancing Huns, Hayabusa nearly stops Mulan in her goal to defeat Shan Yu. Hayabusa later escapes the avalanche caused by Mulan and searches the snow for his master. Once found, Hayabusa settles down on his master's shoulder and joins the Huns in their trip to the Imperial City. During the victory ceremony where Li Shang attempts to present the Emperor Shan Yu's sword as proof of the Hun leader's death, Hayabusa manages to snatch the sword in his talons and deliver it to Shan Yu, who is hiding in the shadows. During a plan created by Mulan to stop Shan Yu and save the Emperor, Hayabusa attempts to alert the Elite Huns of the impending rescue mission. However, before the falcon can alert them of Li Shang's presence, Mushu breathes fire on him, burning off Hayabusa's feathers, leaving him naked. He is then seen being used as a mode of transportation by Mushu. His fate following the battle is unknown.

Kingdom Hearts II
Hayabusa is a minor character that lives in The Land of Dragons World. Like the film, he is Shan Yu's falcon and warning signal. During the boss battle with Shan Yu, the falcon is battled as well, constantly attacking Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Mulan.

Trivia

 * Hayabusa is the third bird sidekick to a Disney villain, the first being Diablo, and the second being Iago, but unlike the ones before him, he is a bird of prey rather than a raven or a parrot. Though technically all three are within a bird clade known as Australaves.
 * The name "Hayabusa" means "Peregrine Falcon" in Japanese, though he is said to be more of a saker falcon.
 * Owning and training a pet falcon has been and still is a very common past time among many Central Asian nomads in Mongolia, Turkestan, and Kazakhstan.
 * A deleted scene would have shown that Shan Yu was capable of seeing through Hayabusa's eyes.
 * It is never called by name in the movie.