I am an adult male lion, the king of Pride Rock, and the only son of Mufasa and Sarabi. I am the mate of Nala, with whom I have two cubs: a daughter, Kiara, and a son, Kion.

Shortly after my birth, I was anointed future king and presented to the animals of the Pride Lands in a royal presentation ceremony. As the crown prince, I was raised to respect the Circle of Life by my father, Mufasa, and trained in the ways of an upright monarch. During this time, my uncle, Scar, lured me into a wildebeest stampede and used the opportunity to kill my father. I blamed myself for the death and exiled myself to the jungle, where I adopted a "Hakuna Matata" lifestyle with Timon and Pumbaa.

As an adult, I encountered my childhood friend, Nala, who begged me to return to the Pride Lands and reestablish my birthright as king. Retaining guilt over the death of my father, I refused. However, an encounter with my father's ghost prompted me to return home, where I found the Pride Lands in disarray under Scar's tyrannical rule. Along with the lionesses, I confronted Scar and engaged in a battle against his hyena minions. After defeating Scar, I ascended Pride Rock and established my place as king of the Pride Lands.

In the wake of Scar's death, I exiled those who were still loyal to Scar to the Outlands, where they fostered a grudge against the Pride Landers and the royal family. Despite the enmity between the two prides, my daughter Kiara befriended an Outsider named Kovu, who had been Scar's heir before his untimely death. I begrudgingly allowed Kovu to stay with the pride, but after the leader of the Outsiders, Zira, framed Kovu for an Outsider ambush, I ended our agreement. With tensions high between the prides, the Outsiders and the Pride Landers met in battle on an open field until Kovu and Kiara arrived and implored their leaders to end the bloodshed. The Outsiders assented and switched sides, and I welcomed them back into the pride.