Mufasa/Relationships

These are the relationships revolving around the character of Mufasa from The Lion King.

Family

Simba

Mufasa had a loving relationship with his son. Simba spent much of his time with his father, who taught him how to be a good king. When Mufasa was killed in the stampede, Simba was heartbroken, believing that it was his own fault. When Mufasa appeared again to Simba years later as a spirit, he encouraged him to return to the Pride Lands, telling him to remember who he is: Mufasa's son, the one true king. Even in death, Simba looks to his father for guidance.

Sarabi

Mufasa with his loving queen, Sarabi

Mufasa and his mate, Sarabi, loved each other very much. When Mufasa was killed in the wildebeest stampede, she was heartbroken. Remaining loyal to her deceased mate, Sarabi boldly states Scar isn't half the great king Mufasa was.

Scar

Scar about to kill a horrified Mufasa.

Mufasa did not have a very good relationship with his jealous brother. While Mufasa did love and care about Scar, he was unsure of what to do about his bad attitude. Scar was frequently disrespectful towards Mufasa, which sometimes caused the latter to lose his patience with his younger brother. Mufasa failed to see Scar's treachery until it was too late, when Scar threw him to his death. Scar even made it illegal for anyone to mention Mufasa's name in his presence, particularly in terms of favoritism.

Kiara

Though he never got a chance to meet his granddaughter because of his death, Mufasa's spirit watches over Kiara during her presentation. Seeing the connection she and his brother's heir had, he knew this would be a perfect way to reunite their feuding prides. Kiara, though not shown conversing with his apparitions, holds profound respect for her grandfather and knew he would've been more merciful to someone in Kovu's position.

Kion

Mufasa's ghost guides Kion

Although Mufasa never met his grandson during his lifetime, Kion still held a great respect towards Mufasa. Whenever he was in doubt, Kion almost always called upon the spirit of his grandfather for guidance.

Friendships

Zazu

Mufasa and Zazu joke about Scar

Mufasa had a very good friendship with his majordomo. He often turned to Zazu for advice, and tasks him with reporting the kingdom's affairs to him. The duo often cracked jokes with each other, usually at Scar's expense. However, Mufasa wasn't above teasing Zazu, as seen when he uses him as the target for Simba's pouncing lesson. Zazu was saddened when his liege was killed. Under the rule of the unpopular Scar, the hornbill, demoted to being forced to sing for him, recalls how he never had to do such things for Mufasa.

Rafiki

Mufasa had a very close friendship with Rafiki. At his son's presentation, they embraced in a hug and the king entrusts his son in Rafiki's hands. Rafiki was devastated by his old friend's demise. But they collaborated together to get an astray Simba to go back and reclaim his birthright. Rafiki is shown to be able to speak with Mufasa on equal footing; greatly expressing his doubt in the late lion's idea by even stating his head was in the clouds, which was met with howling winds. Still, the mandrill goes through with Mufasa's ploy to get his granddaughter to fall in love for sake of the Pride Lands.

Enemies

Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed

Mufasa overpowers the hyena trio before giving them a warning

The hyenas were one of Mufasa's greatest enemies. They would often trespass into the Pride Lands, and Mufasa had to drive them out. When the trio tried to attack Simba, Mufasa defended with great ferocity and threatened them should they ever try again. In spite of this, the hyenas do harbor some form of respect for him. Banzai admits that while they had it rough when Mufasa was ruling, his conditions were more manageable compared to his irresponsible brother Scar.