Zazu

"You can do this, sire."

- Zazu, Can't Wait to be Queen

Zazu is an adult male hornbill, and Simba's majordomo. As the king's royal adviser, he surveys the Pride Lands and delivers the morning report each day, bearing news and warning the king, queen, or Lion Guard of any possible trouble.

Appearance
Zazu is a hornbill with blue and white feathers and a large golden and red beak. His tail feathers are long and straight, each one transitioning from his predominant color to dark blue near the tip. The lighter and darker shades of blue are divided by bands of white. His wings are the same way, starting out lighter blue before changing first into white and then to dark blue. On the back of his head, two small dark blue feathers curl upward, and a few white feathers on his chest protrude slightly. His underbelly and legs are white, and his feet are dark reddish orange. He has sky blue eyelids, and his eyebrows are thick, black, and bushy.

Personality
Zazu shows absolute loyalty to Simba. He is proud of his position, and only too happy to help Simba whenever he needs it. He is not afraid to correct or criticize, and always turns to the bright side of things when he can.

In Can't Wait to be Queen, Zazu gladly assists Simba with learning the elephantese language, with complete faith that they'll get there eventually. When Simba has doubts over his position, Zazu reminds him of all his wonderful duties to ease his mind, showing that he is empathetic.

The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar
Zazu leads Simba to his son Kion on a hill side after Kiara has informed him of Kion's choice of animals for the new Lion Guard. He then waits silently for Simba to finish talking before flying away at the end of Simba's speech.

The Rise of Makuu
Zazu is mentioned by Kiara reporting a problem that giraffes have moved into the baboons' forest.

Can't Wait to be Queen
Zazu leaves Pride Rock along with Simba and Nala to attend Aminifu's funeral. As Simba becomes concerned over his speech, Zazu points out that the elephants are very fond of tradition, and that it shouldn't be too hard for him to say the phrase in elephantese. Simba isn't convinced, but Zazu promises him that he'll get him speaking the language in no time.

Later, Simba, still concerned, begins to doubt his position as king. Zazu attempts to jog his memory on the better tasks associated with his title, and Nala urges Zazu to go in depth. He reminds Simba of the wonderful Duties of the King, and eventually, Simba feels at ease again, thanking Zazu for the reminder. Zazu promises him once again that he'll get him speaking elephantese in no time, causing Simba to become fretful once again.

Simba still struggles to grasp the elephantese language, despite numerous attempts from Zazu to help him learn. In a temper, Simba roars at Zazu, knocking him into a nearby puddle. Seeing her mate's frustration, Nala tries to comfort Simba, jogging his memory to what they had recently discussed. Simba thanks Nala, and calls Zazu back, who collapses in a heap from the roar. Simba, Nala and Zazu finally reach the area, and watch as elephants cover the corpse of Aminifu. Simba and Nala sorrowfully nuzzle one another as they watch from a distance, before finally walking over to join them. The funeral soon begins, and Simba is about to give his speech. However, when reciting the words, instead of saying the elephant idiom 'he had good on him', he mispronounces the words, and instead proclaims that 'he had poop on him'. Simba, Nala and Zazu become concerned, though Aminifu's daughter laughs, saying that he indeed had poop on him, much to everyone's relief.

At the end, Zazu returns home with Simba and Nala.

The Kupatana Celebration
Zazu is seen directing a chorus of animals rehearsing a song for the Kupatana Celebration. He stops them when Mbuni makes a mistake and explains the correct lyrics for the song.

He later appears directing the animal chorus during their performance at Kupatana.

Bunga and the King
Simba mentions Zazu after he and Bunga make it back to Timon, Pumbaa and the Guard. Bunga comments that they should do it again sometime, and Simba responds by telling him that he'll have Zazu check his schedule.

Never Roar Again
Zazu flies into the Lair of the Lion Guard and informs them that a rockslide caused the giraffes to be blocked from their watering hole. He notes that Ono would have known had he been on the lookout, then, catching sight of the egret's head, which is missing its crest feathers, gasps and jumps. Bunga insists that there's nothing wrong with Ono, and Zazu simply reminds them that the giraffes need their help. When Ono is hesitant to go help, Zazu assertively ushers him along.

The Lost Gorillas
Zazu gets his beak stuck in a beehive. Bunga tries to help him out, and eventually succeeds in freeing the hornbill by forcibly pulling on his body. Zazu is about to thank him when the bees start to surround him, and Bunga pushes him away to snack on a few. When Bunga has finished, he advises Zazu to fly over the beehive next time instead of straight into it, and Zazu offers him a half hearted thank you in return for his assistance. Fuli asks Zazu why he was in such a hurry, and he informs them that he was actually looking for the Lion Guard. He explains that the pangolins have been spraying, and that the situation is starting to get stinky. Ono is concerned since pangolins only usually do that when they feel threatened, and Kion leads the Lion Guard away to deal with the problem.

The Savannah Summit
Zazu is due to escort Simba to the Savannah Summit, but he arrives just in time to see a conflict break out between Makuu and Kion, which worries him. But things are quickly resolved, and Zazu guides several leaders to Mizimu Grove, telling them that they can build some trust for the event.

Later, Zazu ends up getting squashed by Mbeya's bottom. He cries out for help and the Lion Guard arrive on the scene, where they discover that Mbeya was offended by a remark Zazu made. But it is soon revealed that the remark was actually from Big Baboon, who was angry at Mbeya for bumping into him earlier. Realising that Zazu was innocent, Mbeya lifts himself up and, after Big Baboon issues him with an apology, apologises to Zazu himself. Zazu then asks if he will make it into the official portrait and Rafiki promises him that it won't... At least, not the official one.

The Lion Guard: The Rise of Scar
Zazu flies around Simba and Nala as they observe the Pride Lands.

Songs

 * Duties of the King
 * Welcome to the Summit

Trivia

 * Zazu can speak in elephant, gorilla, chimpanzee and several dialects of bushbuck.