Hadithi

"The higher you fly, the more they'll look up to you."

- Hadithi, Ono's Idol

Hadithi is an adult male eagle. He is Ono's idol in the episode of the same name.

Appearance
Hadithi is a large, stocky eagle with dark brown feathers. The feathers on his belly, legs and under inside his wings are white. Also on his chest are several brown-tipped feathers. His beak and talons are yellow, all tipped with black. His feathers are also tipped with black on the outside. He has yellow eyes which are rimmed with a murky-brown color. His crest is black as well as his tail feathers.

Personality
Hadithi is a proud yet vain bird, who takes great pride in the 'adventures' that he has been on. Although he claims to be humble, he frequently loses this trait when others shower him with too much praise. He is boastful of his talents and abilities, and has no shame in bragging about them to others. He is also easily moved to anger when people question his words, as shown when the Lion Guard questioned him over the The Traditional Ceremonial Nest, or when Zito could not find wisdom in his quote.

Hadithi is also somewhat of a liar. The adventures he spoke of and his 'Hadithi Spin' were all made up in an attempt to save his reputation as a hero. Despite this, he can be honest when guilt seeps in enough, shown by how he confessed to Ono that everything was made up. When Ono urged him to join in, Hadithi showed true courage by assisting Ono during the battle.

In addition to all of this, Hadithi has been shown to be kind and compassionate. This is seen when he shifts his honor over to Ono, complimenting him in front of many other Pride Landers.

Ono's Idol
Hadithi arrives in the Pride Lands, swooping down into a clearing to a vast multitude of animals, mostly birds, that have been anxiously awaiting his arrival. A raven asks him to say something wise, and Hadithi responds with 'The higher you fly, the more they'll look up to you'. Before Hadithi can say anything else, he notices a young honey badger approaching him, calling for his attention. Before Bunga can get too close, Ono swoops in and starts listing Hadithi's braveries to him, and Hadithi lands just behind him to remind him of the Egrets Great Escape. Ono is shocked to hear Hadithi speaking to him, and the eagle comments that Ono seems to know a lot about him. Ono assures him that he does, even going so far as to say that he's his biggest fan. Hadithi laughs, asking him if he's sure since he has a lot of fans. To further emphasize his point, he sings Hadithi the Hero. After he finishes, he thanks his adoring fans for their support, and lands next to Ono admitting that he may be his biggest after all. Just then, Simba stops him from saying any more, reminding him of his fans all over the Pride Lands. He and Nala approach Hadithi after the grateful eagle takes a bow. Simba goes on to say that such an occasion must be marked. He informs Hadithi that he would like to honor Hadithi back at Pride Rock, with a Royal Mud Print Ceremony. Simba then tells Hadithi that, according to tradition, he must share his knowledge with a younger member of the Pride Lands, before gazing out at the crowd. Kion urges his father to pick Ono, and he does so. Hadithi, slightly reluctantly, agrees, since it's part of their 'tradition'. Simba asks if there's anything else he needs to which Hadithi states he doesn't, though as Simba walks away, he asks if The Traditional Ceremonial Nest will be supplied. Simba is unsure what that is, but Ono blurts out that the Lion Guard will create it for him regardless. Simba and Nala then take their leave, stating that they'll meet Hadithi at Pride Rock just before sundown for the ceremony. Hadithi thanks the Lion Guard for their kind offer, asking if they know the proper leaves for the ceremonial nest. When they show confusion, he explains that the nest must be made from the leaves from the tallest tree in the Pride Lands. Ono understands, since they would be the softest, and therefore fit for a hero. Hadithi praises Ono for his words. The pair then leaves to tour the Pride Lands. Hadithi then perches on a tree overlooking the Watering Hole and repeats the same words of wisdom to some storks, flamingos, and elephants. The birds are mesmerized, but Zito points out that elephants don't fly. Hadithi is visibly annoyed by his statement, so Ono flies to the same branch and explains it in a different way, stating that 'we all have challenges that require us to rise above ourselves to become better than we are'. This pleases the elephants and Zito praises Hadithi for the wisdom, to which the eagle agrees, taking a soft bow. Hadithi continues his tour of the Pride Lands, speaking the same quote to a flock of egrets from atop a cliff. After he's finished, he thanks the enchanted egrets and reminds them of his Mud Printing Ceremony, before turning his back on them and walking away. The egrets become excited and start to fly towards him, but Ono blocks their path and orders them to back off so that Hadithi can be given the respect he deserves. Hadithi thanks Ono, claiming him to be a natural. Ono becomes humbled by his words and asks if he could be shown the Hadithi Spin. Hadithi hides his nervousness and suggests that Ono should try it instead and he'll tell him if he's doing it right since he doesn't wish to ruffle his feathers so close to the ceremony. Ono flies away, missing Hadithi's sigh. Despite Ono's brave attempt, the egret crashes into the ground. Hadithi shields himself from the impact and peers down at Ono. The egret gets up and admits that he probably forgot to compensate for the wind. Hadithi confidently informs him that that was his mistake and that the wind always compensates for him. Ono begins to get upset, but Hadithi suggests he try again, which cheers the egret up. He watches unenthusiastically as he flies back up to try again. With the sun setting, Hadithi starts to prune himself in anticipation of the event. When Ono excitedly flies down to see what his idol has to say about his latest attempt, he becomes disappointed when he discovers his idol pruning himself instead. Despite being caught doing so, Hadithi praises Ono, but Ono tells him that he wasn't even looking. Hadithi offers him a weak apology, claiming that he has to look his best for his fans. He goes on to say that he can't turn up looking like he just came from a windstorm, but reconsiders it when he realizes that it might make him look more heroic. Ono begs him for one more try, confident that he can do it. Hadithi stops pruning himself, rolls his eyes slightly and mutters 'I doubt that' before telling him that it's time to go and flying away. Ono reminds him that he called him a natural, and Hadithi explains that he meant with the crowd, by giving them what they want and playing them perfectly. Ono is confused since he just tells the truth. Hadithi considers his honesty 'interesting' but says no more. The two continue flying, but Ono notices a bunch of klipspringers on a high ledge. He points them out to Hadithi, who informs him that they're excellent jumpers, so if they got up, they can get down, offering him a quick wink of confidence. Ono reluctantly agrees, though before he can take his eyes away, he hears hyenas. Ono mentions Janja's Clan to Hadithi, who becomes worried about a full clan of hyenas. Ono reckons they can take them down with the Hadithi Spin, but Hadithi tells Ono that the egret isn't ready for it just yet and that he'd hate for him to get hurt. He promptly changes the subject to his ceremony, claiming that they'll be late and diverting himself elsewhere, calling to Ono. Ono calls for him, but Hadithi tells him he can't leave his fans waiting. Hadithi glides across the ceremonial area, where Mtoto spots him first. The animals cheer as Hadithi lands in the Ceremonial Nest, and Simba welcomes him. Hadithi thanks the king, gently moves a talon across the leaves and comments that they're very soft, and that they'll do. When Kion asks where Ono is, Hadithi assures him that he'll be along soon and that he's just practicing the Hadithi Spin. Before they can answer, Simba starts the ceremony, by praising Hadithi. As the animals cheer in spurts, Simba reiterates how much of a hero he is, which gradually causes guilt to sweep over the eagle. When Simba finishes his speech and asks Hadithi to plan his talons in the mud for them to be preserved, Hadithi tries to speak his catchphrase once more. But he finds himself unable to place a talon in the mud. He withdraws himself, claiming that he's no hero, but there is another bird who is much more of a hero than he and that he's in trouble. Kion knows right away that it's Ono, and Hadithi asks the Guard to follow him. Hadithi lands beside Ono after witnessing the egret selflessly tell his friend Fuli to save the klipspringers instead of him. Hadithi applauds Ono, claiming he could learn something from him. Ono thanks his idol, who begins to remove the rocks on his wing whilst apologizing for leaving him. Ono assures him that he likely had a good reason, but Hadithi replies negatively. He then confesses to Ono that all of the stories about him are false and that he fell from the sky at Misty Falls, confirming that the Hadithi Spin never existed. Ono then admits that he knew that, when he crashed whilst trying to perform it, much to Hadithi's surprise. Ono then assures him that there can be one now, and asks him to follow. Hadithi obeys. The two birds then start to loop around the hyenas and a boulder that Beshte pushed down. Ono looks to Hadithi and tells him to come on, and it's 'fun'. Janja then stumbles and asks if he said 'Hadithi', while Ono continues to loop around them. When Kion and Bunga cheer Ono on, Hadithi silently cheers for the egret himself, before joining in. The hyenas start to feel sick and finally fall into the water due to dizziness. That night, Ono places his talons in the mud. Hadithi then speaks about the egret, claiming that although he was supposed to pass his wisdom onto him, Ono passed his wisdom onto him instead. He then calls Ono a natural hero, before presenting him to the Pride Landers as the inventor of the Ono Spin. As Ono smiles with incredible joy at his idol's kind words, the Pride Landers cheer.

Songs

 * Hadithi the Hero

Enemies

 * Janja
 * Cheezi
 * Chungu
 * Nne
 * Tano

Trivia

 * An early sketch for Hadithi can be seen in a behind the scenes video, dated 1st January 2016.