Li'l Raksha is a supporting character who was featured in the 1998 Disney direct-to-video film The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story.
Background[]
Li'l Raksha is the daughter of her father Akela and her mother Raksha (whom her daughter is named after). During her first encounter with Mowgli when she was a pup, Li'l Raksha curiously asked her parents to know if they could keep him to which after a short discussion, Akela allows Mowgli to be part of their family. Later when she grew up as a teen, she became old enough to join a pack of wolves, where her parents Akela and Raksha allowed her to participate. However, after Raksha died, Li'l Raksha is left without a mother after Mowgli claimed that it was his fault in causing this incident. Noticing Mowgli attempting to run away from the jungle, Li'l Raksha became worried, fearing that Shere Khan is stalking him and tried to warn Mowgli that running away only makes it worse. Later, when Mowgli accepts Li'l Raksha's advice in returning in the jungle and regains his confidence in facing Shere Khan, he decides to return in the jungle to face off the tiger in combat. She even supported Mowgli and his allies in helping drive away the tiger from the jungle. After Shere Khan was banished successfully, Mowgli allows Li'l Raksha to be the leader of the wolf pack which she promises to be a good leader.
Role in the film[]
Li'l Raksha is first seen when Mowgli enters her family's den which as she sees Mowgli entering, she asks her mother Raksha to know if they could keep him which Akela tells his wife that the man-cub he is talking about is probably one of the hunters. As Li'l Raksha asks her father to know if it is all right to keep him, Akela tells his daughter that when Mowgli grows up, he fears that he could be a threat to all wolves, which Raksha replies to her husband that Mowgli isn't harming the wolves and as Li'l Raksha despondently asks her parents to keep him, the two observe Mowgli being gentle to them much to Akela telling his daughter to be responsible in taking care of a man-cub like Mowgli to which after a discussion, Akela decides to keep Mowgli in his family. However, when Tabaqui enters the wolves' den, Li'l Raksha and her parents become upset when they see a hyena in their den, which her parents ward him off their den, protecting Li'l Raskha's family from the hyena.
Later when Mowgli's life attends a meeting with the wolf pack, Li'l Raskha (now a teenager) is seen standing behind Mowgli while Akela and Raksha discuss the spring hunt, which Raksha discusses with the pack that her daughter Li'l Raksha is now old enough to hunt to which during the meeting, Biranyi discusses with him that he is unable to hunt, suggesting Mowgli should take his place. Akela then tells his daughter and Mowgli to approach him to which as they pass by, he tells Li'l Raksha that when they go on a hunt, she must promise to protect the wolf pack and honor the traditions of her family's ancestors, to which the discussion was interrupted when a scout wolf howls, giving an alert to the wolves that Shere Khan is there planning for revenge against Mowgli, which Akela and Raksha confront him.
The next day, Li'l Raksha is present during a hunting lesson where Mowgli stands next to her in a plan to hunt deer Li'l Raksha's father Akela tells Mowgli that he and his wife Raksha will hide behind the left side of the ridge while Li'l Raksha, Mowgli, two other hunters will come up from the right side with assistance from some brother wolves straight up a hill to cut off their escape just as Akela gives out the signal, only for Mowgli not to catch at least one deer during a lesson.
After Raksha was killed, Li'l Raksha is seen mourning the death of her mother who was killed by Shere Khan while trying to protect Mowgli. Furious about this, Mowgli risks himself to leave the jungle to never come back, much to Li'l Raksha's worry. She then notices Mowgli leaving the jungle and tries to catch up with him, but was unable to; Mowgli suddenly ends up in the Man Village where all kinds of memories were returning to him. Later, Mowgli hears Li'l Raksha calling for help and as Mowgli finds her, he finds her paw caught on an animal trap. Soon as Mowgli rescues Li'l Raksha from the trap, he tells her that he must leave to avoid causing more trouble, which Li'l Raksha denies, warning him that Shere Khan will stalk him wherever he goes, trying to explain that he must stay in the jungle and get ready to stand up against the tiger.
When Mowgli regains his confidence, Li'l Raksha and the rest of Mowgli's friends confront Shere Khan together in combat where she becomes furious of him that he killed her mother, planning to avenge her death. After Mowgli defeats Shere Khan in combat, Li'l Raksha happily praises Mowgli for defeating the tiger, followed by three wolves who apologize to Mowgli for bullying him in the first place as they tell the man-cub to be the leader of the wolf pack. However, Mowgli tells the three that Li'l Raksha is the one to lead the pack being the new leader of the Seeonee pack. Li'l Raksha then accepts her position in being the new leader.
Gallery[]
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Trivia[]
- Li'l Raksha was created exclusively for the 1998 Disney adaptation of The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story and has no original counterpart in the original 1967 film nor does she appear in Rudyard Kipling's original book nor is she related to Grey Brother from the original story.
