Payback time is nearing and then our flag will fly, against a blood-red sky!
That's my lullaby!
Lurking in the Outlands and spending years plotting her son's rise to power,
Zira is seemingly diabolical. She abuses and manipulates her children and pride to further her own
agenda in hopes of one day avenging her former leader Scar. Is it really that simple though?
Is Zira truly evil or did scar manipulate her into being his slave even after he dies? Hello,
I'm Isaac from Wotso Videos where we discuss fun topics for fun people,
and today we are going to examine the backstory of Zira.
Zira lived her young adult life under the rule of Scar, but was born during Mufasa's time as king.
She was born around the same time as Simba
since they both had children of similar ages and was an average lioness under
Mufasa's rule in most respects, although there was some distinctions between her and the other lionesses.
Zira was very insecure about her weak strength which gave her a disadvantage when hunting against strong lionesses like Nala.
Zira longed for power over the other lions and
Hoped for a purpose beyond hunting for the Pridelanders.
All of her dreams and more came true when the tragedy of King Mufasa
and the loss of Simba ensued, allowing Scar to become ruler of the Pride Lands.
The strict rule of Scar coupled with his policy allowing Hyenas into the Pride Lands
Gave Zira hope that issues in her own life would change as drastically as the Pride Lands.
Along with the hope of a life with meaning,
Scar provided the purpose Zira looked for by forcing the lionesses to have strict schedules and constant oversight by the Hyenas.
Zira felt like she was part of something larger than herself.
Zira quickly began to respect and long for the attention of her great leader and she despised the
lionesses who did not agree with his decisions. In some cases,
Zira would even act violently against those who spoke poorly of Scar which drew Scar's attention.
Zira may have already felt purpose, but when Scar gave her the news her son Kovu would be his heir,
she felt more right with the world than ever before.
Her purpose in the world was not to be the strongest or the fastest lioness,
She was brought into the Pride Lands to protect Scar's rule.
After the death of Scar by the hands of Simba, Zira was heartbroken and despised Simba for stripping her
of the one lion who gave her meaning.
Scar knew for a fact that in the case of his death,
Zira would do everything in her power to continue his work and beliefs;
And that is exactly what happened, because of Zira's insistence to preserve Scar's rule and her influence over many of the other lionesses
Simba was forced to banish the lions to the Badlands including Zira's three children: Nuka, Kovu, and Vitani.
Years later, Zira confronts Simba when Kovu trespasses into the Pride Lands
She offers her son up for punishment,
but Simba refuses to hurt the young cub and tells her to get out and their business is over.
Zira corrects him indicating their conflict has just begun.
After her confrontation with Simba, Zira devises an idea from Kovu's interaction with Simba's daughter Kiara.
If Kovu could be integrated into the Pridelanders, then he could gain the opportunity to murder Simba.
Every moment after that day was dedicated to facilitating the training of Kovu
into the bloodthirsty king she hoped he would become.
After becoming a strong and powerful lion, Zira's plan springs into action.
During Kiara's first solo hunt, Nuka and Vitani set the plains on fire,
almost resulting in Kiara's death until Kovu rescues her.
Unfortunately for Zira, Kovu falls in love with Kiara so Zira adapts to the new situation and
ambushes Simba when he is alone with Kovu, crediting him for setting Simba up for his demise.
Simba escapes the ambush and frantically attempts to evade the outsiders by traversing up a dam.
Nuka tries to capture the moment by becoming the lion who avenged Scar,
but the logs from the dam crush him. Zira comforts Nuka in his final moments
but her dismay transforms into sheer anger scolding Kovu for betraying his family and killing his brother.
To turn these events in her favor she demands the outsiders bring a full-scale war to the Pride Lands
while Simba is still damaged from the ambush.
The Pridelanders meet the outsiders in the Pride Lands and Zira mocks Simba and explains these lands are her's.
This was the bloodbath Zira had longed for since the death of Scar.
She was finally going to avenge her former ruler and fulfill her purpose. As the fighting erupts, Zira moves towards
Simba to end his life,
but Kovu and Kiara stand between them and
halt the fighting. They believe the separate prides has lasted long enough and suggests bringing the two together.
Zira, disgusted with the idea of living with the Pridelanders, commands Vitani to attack, but she is too moved by Kira's words after
feeling she has lost all of her children to Simba, Zira blurts out a threat to her daughter which
Convinces the other lions in her pride that Zira is too focused on
what is best for her, instead of what is best for the pride.
Fueled by anger Zira leaps out to kill Simba, but Kiara intercepts and both lionesses roll over the side of the cliff.
The logs of the dam begin to break down and burst open, so Kiara offers to pull Zira to safety, but Zira refuses.
Her inability to let go of her hate results in her
rejecting Kira's help, which leads to Zira falling to her death in the rushing river.
Although it is easy to think Zira is pure evil and malicious, I don't necessarily think she is at her core.
I believe Scar took advantage of her mental stability
and manipulated her into being loyal and blind to opposing ideologies.
Zira may have been abusive and filled with revenge,
but I think at the end of the day, she wouldn't have done that without Scar's influence. Now
it's time for you to give me your feedback.
Do you believe Zira is truly evil? Let me know down in the comments section along with any ideas
you would like to see discussed in a future Discovering Disney episode. If you enjoyed this video
And you'd like to see more like it, then remember to subscribe to Wotso Videos.
Thanks for watching and have a magical day.