Janja's Clan

Janja's Clan is a clan of hyenas that live deep within the Outlands. There are at least seven known members of the clan, including the leader, Janja. Janja's clan is greedy and gluttonous, choosing not to follow the Circle of Life, which results in many disputes with the Lion Guard.

The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar
In Return of the Roar, Janja speaks to his clan while gnawing on a bone. He notices a honey badger named Bunga fall into the Outlands, and orders two of his clan members, Chungu and Cheezi, to grab him. They are promptly stopped Kion, who demands that they put Bunga down. When Cheezi and Chungu taunt Kion, he furiously roars. The hyenas are completely shocked by the intensity of the roar which makes for Bunga's easy escape. After Mzingo delivers the news of the new Lion Guard being formed, Janja tells his clan the legend of the Lion Guard and explains how Scar destroyed his guard. He then decides that both he and his clan will strike that night to stop the new guard being formed, taking down all the animals they can. He explains by way of singing Tonight We Strike with his clan. As always, the hyenas show great enthusiasm for Janja's idea.

When the clan enters the Pride Lands, the young princess, Kiara, spots them while tracking gazelles. She sends her friend Tiifu to get help while staying to keep an eye on things.

When the hyenas attack, several of the Lion Guard's desired members watch. Beshte notes that they already scored enough gazelles to feed them, wondering why they are still attacking the herd. Kion tells him that they don't care about the Circle of Life. He gives each of his friends the Mark of the Lion Guard, and together, the five friends defend the Pride Lands. Fuli is seen dashing ahead of the hyenas and blocking their path when they try to flee. Ono takes out Mzingo from above and Bunga dives upon Chungu and covers his eyes. Beshte charges into the hyenas, knocking them backwards, and finally, Kion uses the Roar to force them out of the Pride Lands. Janja reminds the young cub that while he won this time, it wouldn't be so easy the next time. He then retreats with his clan.

Never Judge a Hyena by Its Spots
Janja and a few members of his clan try to attack a herd of antelope when the Lion Guard shows up to stop them. They briefly argue with the Lion Guard about their restrictions within the Pride Lands, but the Lion Guard drives them back into the Outlands with Kion hot on their heels as they flee. Later on, Janja and his clan discover Jasiri in their territory. Despite her reply that she was just passing through, the clan converges on her, attacking. Jasiri holds up well for a while, battling Cheezi and Chungu without help, but is eventually pinned down by Janja. However, Kion returns to save Jasiri, tackling Janja in the process. Jasiri and Kion battle Janja's clan, but are eventually cornered.The clan victoriously prepares to attack them, but Kion uses the Roar of the Elders to defend both himself and Jasiri. Janja and his clan leave, worn out and defeated.

Can't Wait to be Queen
When Kion's sister, Kiara, becomes the temporary queen of the Pride Lands, Mzingo is quick to inform Janja and his clan. Janja is pleased with this news, and formulates a plan to to take over the Pride Lands. He has Mzingo convince Kiara to meet him at Broken Rock under the assumption that Janja wants to hold a peace meeting. Mzingo accomplishes this by flattering Kiara and lying to her, explaining that Janja had always wanted peace, but Kion's stubbornness had interfered. Kiara tells him that she'll think about his offer. Eventually, she decides that she will meet Janja, against Kion's negative judgement on the situation. When Kiara arrives at Broken Rock, Janja greets her enthusiastically. His clan steps out of the shadows, and Kiara nervously says that she's reconsidering his proposal. Janja grins and announces his plan, to Kiara's horror, and the hyena clan converges on the temporary queen. She manages to dodge the first few attacks, but Janja soon jumps on her and pins her to the ground. However, Kion arrives, having heeded the advice of his grandfather and come to rescue his sister. He tackles Janja, knocking him off of Kiara. Kiara expresses delight and shock at her brother's arrival, and the two cubs challenge Janja, asking him if he thinks he can take them both on. Janja proves willing to continue the fight, as he and his clan still outnumber Kion and Kiara, but the rest of the Lion Guard then joins their leader. Not liking the now-even odds, Janja and his clan flee.

Eye of the Beholder
Janja and his clan cause a major stampede within the Pride Lands, much to the dismay of the Lion Guard. Chungu and Cheezi sneak up on a young wildebeest and prepare to attack it, but are stopped by the Lion Guard. Janja and Kion engage in a one-on-one battle, and Kion throws Janja into the air at the exact time that a wildebeest charges. The impact with the wildbeest launches the hyena into the air. Janja and the hyenas then retreat back to the Outlands, followed in hot pursuit by Ono.

Janja later hears that Ono has lost his ability to see, which gives him the idea of trapping the Lion Guard amidst a rockslide. He attempts to get his message across to Cheezi and Chungu, who seem more concerned about getting a bite to eat than they do the actual plan. Janja attempts to explain by singing Outta the Way, but much to his annoyance, they still fail to understand. The hyenas form rock piles near a ravine on Janja's orders. They prepare to attack the zebras, and when the Lion Guard attempts to go protect the herd, the hyenas trap them as they go through the ravine. They laugh and taunt the Lion Guard before making their way to feast on the zebra herd. Ono arrives in the nick of time to save the zebras, and the hyenas are once again forced back into the Outlands by the Lion Guard.

The Kupatana Celebration
Janja's Clan is seen charging towards a young jackal, Dogo. They are foiled by the Lion Guard, who come to Dogo's rescue. Kion pins Janja to the ground, ordering him to let Dogo go, and Bunga reminds Janja that it's the day of the Kupatana Celebration. Janja laughs, and tells them that if they want Dogo, they're welcome to him, much to Kion's surprise. Kion steps off of Janja, who orders his clan away, laughing and calling "Merry Kupatana!" over his shoulder. His clan joins in his laughter as they retreat deeper into the Outlands.

Fuli's New Family
When Bunga enters the Outlands, Cheezi spots him and eagerly reports back to Janja, who is being groomed by Chungu. The clan prepares to kill and eat Bunga, but Fuli intervenes. When the ground beneath them breaks off, Fuli and Bunga are stuck floating on a slab of rock in a river of lava. Janja and his clan chase then down, getting ready to eat them, but Kion, Beshte, and Ono appear to help their friends. Beshte pushes a tree into the lava, and Fuli and Bunga climb onto it. Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu follow them, but Fuli leaps off of the log, carrying Bunga with her, and the three hyenas remain trapped on the log as it burns.

Follow That Hippo!
Three members of Janja's clan, Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu, sneak into the Pride Lands. They attack a group of young animals, but fail to catch any of them. They decide to pursue the elephant calf Mtoto, however, Beshte intervenes, and Mtoto climbs onto Beshte's back. They swim through a river, and the hyenas pursue them. Cheezi and Janja try to attack Mtoto, but crash into each other instead, and Beshte launches Chungu into the water. The trio recover and continue the chase, but the Lion Guard arrives on the scene and knock them into the water, causing a number of hungry crocodiles to give chase.

The Call of the Drongo
Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu attack a herd of impalas in the Pride Lands. They are foiled by the Lion Guard, and run away, but pause to catch their breath, where they overhear a drongo named Tamaa mimicking Janja's voice. They capture him, and Janja orders Tamaa to mimic Kion's voice and tell the impala herd to head for the Outlands. Tamaa eventually does so, and the hyenas chase the impalas as they run. Tamaa asks if he can go, seeing as he did what Janja asked, but Janja refuses to allow him to leave. Tamaa then tricks Cheezi into freeing him whilst Janja stalks the impala herd, who have reached a dead end. Cheezi and Chungu decide against informing Janja of this, and begin to creep forward after him. The hyenas are stopped by the sound of the Lion Guard's voices, telling them to leave the impalas alone and that they are surrounded. Janja soon discovers it's a trick on Tamaa's part, but the Guard soon actually arrives on the scene, and Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu flee deeper into the Outlands.

Paintings and Predictions
Janja, Cheezi and Chungu watch as the Guard calm down the zebra herd, watching as Ono guides them home. They decide to follow the zebra home, expressing their love of how the zebras Panic and Run along the way. When they arrive, Janja tells Cheezi and Chungu to wait for the signal. They get confused and run ahead of Janja, who rushes to catch up to them. They begin to cause mayhem with the zebras, until the Lion Guard arrive on the scene to stop them. With Cheezi and Chungu too busy complimenting their 'success' on how the zebras didn't even see them coming, they miss Beshte entirely, who blocks them with his body. They comment that they didn't even see him coming. As Janja chases a zebra elsewhere, he too is soon foiled by Kion, who accidentally lands on his back. Janja questions where he even came from, though soon joins Cheezi and Chungu in their retreat.

The Mbali Fields Migration
Janja, Cheezi and Chungu overhear the sound of a zebra baby, and soon arrive to investigate, sliding down the ridge and thus causing most of the zebras to scatter. Kion pleads with everyone to protect Muhimu and her newborn, knowing that mayhem is exactly what the hyenas want from them. After Muhimu orders them to, the zebras compose themselves, rushing back to Muhimu and her foal and defending them along with Kion, Bunga and Swala. At first Janja, Cheezi and Chungu taunt them, though they soon launch an attack. Janja is caught by Kion, and Bunga catches Cheezi. Chungu aims for the zebras, but is kicked back by a zebra. Chungu in turn pushes Kion off Janja as he is thrust away. Janja approaches the zebras, who pull back a little, though Muhimu's son kicks Janja in the face, throwing him away at the same time Bunga and Kion finish with Cheezi and Chungu. The hyenas retreat back into the Outlands, with each declaring that they didn't like zebra anyway.

Janja
Main article: Janja

Janja is the leader of the clan. He bears the typical appearance of a hyena- ashy gray fur with a darker muzzle and dark spots. He has a small notch in his left ear and a ridge of black fur along his back. Janja is greedy, trouble-making, and aggressive. He despises the Lion Guard, especially their leader, Kion, and his Roar.

Chungu
Main article: Chungu Chungu is a large, well-built gray hyena with a large jaw and small eyes. His mane is thick and black, and he has a small notch on his right ear. Chungu is fairly thick-skulled, and is submissive towards the clan leader, Janja. He frequently compliments Janja whenever the latter makes a joke.

Cheezi
Main article: Cheezi Cheezi is a crazy hyena with clipped ears and a large red nose. He has a spiky black mane and is prone to sticking his tongue out. He isn't very smart, similar to his companion Chungu, but is slightly more devious and enjoys violence.

Unnamed Members
The following are known members of Janja's Clan who have not received an official name.

Mzingo
Main article: Mzingo Mzingo is a vulture that acts as a spy for Janja. He has dark blue feathers tipped with paler blue, and a large gold-colored beak tipped in red. His head and neck are bald. Mzingo is very sneaky and sly, with a rather dry demeanor. He tells Janja of the happenings of the Pride Lands that are opportunistic or mean bad news for the hyenas, as like them, he desires to eat as he pleases and not follow the Circle of Life.

Gallery
See also: Janja's Gallery, Cheezi's Gallery, Chungu's Gallery

Trivia

 * Despite Janja being a male, a hyena clan is typically led by a female.
 * The hyenas in Janja's clan are noted to be descendants of the hyenas from the original Lion King film.