Rani

Rani is a teenage lioness who appears in Season 3 of The Lion Guard.

She is a major character that appears in the second half of Season 3. She and her mate Kion lead the Night Pride and rule the Tree of Life together as Queen and King.

Appearance
Rani is a sleek young lioness, with chestnut brown fur and a dark brown stripe running down her back. The top of her ears are lined with a similar brown, and her pink inner ears have dark brown fur underneath. She has a red nose and her eyes are chocolate brown, with tawny eye rims that are lighter below her eye. The brown-cream colour of her lower eye rims is also present on her muzzle, her underbelly and her paws. The back of her legs have dark markings, similar to Kion's. The tip of her tail is dark brown. She has a scar on the inside of her right forepaw from unknown circumstances.

Personality
Rani is a strong female leader, like her grandmother Janna; she is very protective to the Tree of Life and cares for her little brother Baliyo, as well as all animals of the Tree of Life after she becomes the queen.

Rani is brave and determined in her duty to protect the Tree of Life though she has her downsides. As heir to her grandmother's throne and leader of the Night Pride, she carries herself with a headstrong certainty that she is in the right, as she judged Kion harshly when they first met (and disregarded that it was her brother Baliyo who started the conflict), believing philosophy that actions speak louder than words, subsequently leading her to refuse Kion and his friends passage to the Tree of Life. It was only after reporting to her grandmother, who requested Rani to bring Kion to her after saying a few words of wisdom, that she gave them a second chance and was impressed by how the Guard cleared the mountain passage and didn't venture through it as well as Kion putting his friend Ono before himself. Still, she doubted and was wary of him a few times after the fact, especially when it was revealed Makucha and his army had followed the Lion Guard to the Tree of Life.

For all her strength and sense of duty however, Rani hides a vulnerable side of uncertainty and doubt in herself that she is hesitant to expose. Getting to know Kion and the Lion Guard, especially after the heartbreaking loss of her grandmother and subsequent coronation as the new queen of the Tree of Life, helped Rani find the self-assurance that she was ready to be queen, knowing that she had her friends and family at her side.

Ultimately, this doubt and uncertainty led to Rani and Kion finding a connection as leaders, and sharing how they had both doubted themselves and their respective abilities to lead, causing them to fall in love.

The Tree of Life
When Bunga causes a rock slide that blocks the entrance to the Tree of Life, Rani gets worried that the visitors might be a threat. Ullu leads the Night Pride to the Lion Guard. Rani and Surak think that they are strangers. Baliyo, her younger brother goes up to see who the strangers are. Upon seeing the Lion Guard, Baliyo attacks Kion and the rest of the Night Pride attacks the Guard. Kion soon uses the Roar of the Elders on Baliyo and Rani gets upset. Rani says that he and his friends aren't welcome to the Tree of Life. Rani soon asks if her brother is okay and he says that he is. He starts to feel dizzy while Rani decides to speak with her grandmother Janna. Rani tells Janna about the intruders she faced and mentions the lion with a scar had a powerful roar and Janna says that the roar has returned to the Tree of Life. Rani is hesitant to think that the roar is meant to be good and asks about the scar in Kion's eye. Janna tells her we all have our scars and tells her to remember "Sisi ni sawa". Janna tells her grand-daughter to welcome the Lion Guard to the Tree of Life. Rani tells the Night Pride that Janna wants to welcome the travelers which Baliyo is against having felt the impact of Kion's roar. Surak and Nirmala tell Baliyo to think before acting and to relax. Rani soon talks to the spirits of her parents Sãhasí and Ãnanda to seek guidance. Rani is worried that something bad will happen if she lets the Lion Guard in, but they say to listen to Janna and welcome the Guard into the Tree of Life. After finding the Guard they notice that they cleared the path without trying to enter any further. Kion says sorry about the rock slide and pleads for Ono to be healed at the very least. Rani welcomes Ono and tells Kion they're all welcome to Tree of Life.

The River of Patience
Rani brings the Lion Guard inside the Tree of Life to speak with her grandmother Janna. Janna asks Nirmala to help heal Kion's scar. While Kion is getting healed Janna asks Rani to show the rest of the guard around the Tree of Life. Rani tells them all about the Tree of Life and says that everyone is Welcome to the Tree of Life.

Ullu comes to tell Rani some important news and Rani leaves the guard behind. Rani and the Night Pride confront Makucha, Chuluun and Ora. The Night Pride fights them off, but Kion and the Lion Guard arrive after it's all over and crash into her. Rani didn't want their help and tells them to get healed quickly so that they can leave as soon as possible. After hearing the descriptions of the animals the Night Pride fought, Kion realizes that Makucha and the others must have followed them. This greatly angers Rani as it confirmed her worst fears about something bad happening if she let the Lion Guard into the Tree of Life as there is now a group of vicious predators on her doorstep. Rani talks to her grandmother about this problem and claims that they should have never let Kion and the Lion Guard in. Janna tells Kion to not worry about protecting the Tree of Life and to continue his healing while Rani and the Night Pride deal with the predators. Rani asks Nirmala if Kion is healed yet and Nirmala says that she is just like him. Makucha and the others come back again and the Night Pride fights them. Baliyo gets bitten by Ora's venom and is left incapacitated. Kion completes his task of getting the flower and helps fight off Makucha and Chuluun. Rani then thanks the Lion Guard for their help.

Little Old Ginterbong
Rani is hanging out with the Lion Guard and her brother. Soon Kion and Nirmala come along. Kion has mud on his face Nirmala says it's part of his healing. Nirmala says that Kion has a long way to go before he gets healed. She also says that it's time for Ono to get healed. Ono is excited and he heads off to the Tree of Life. Fuli sarcastically asks if Bunga can get any noisier when he eats. Baliyo says that Bunga should meet his friend Binga. Rani and her Night Pride soon see Mama Binturong being chased by Makucha's army not realizing that Mama being attacked was all an act so that she could enter the Tree of Life without raising suspicion. They save Mama and welcome her to the Tree of Life. Kion asks if Rani is here for Ono's healing and Rani says that she's just letting Mama Binturong (calling herself Granny Ginterbong to hide her identity) into the Tree of Life. After Mama Binturong finds out the weaknesses of the Night Pride and Queen Janna, Rani tries to find her a tree to rest in, but Mama dismisses Rani and tells her to get some rest instead.

The Night Pride hears that Makucha's army is attacking Mama Binturong, but that is actually a diversion because Mama Binturong is on the other side of the Tree of Life so that Makucha's army could attack Queen Janna undeterred. The plan goes awry and the Night Pride spots Mama Binturong after failing to attack Bunga and claims she was attacked by Binga and Bunga. Bunga explains what really happened and she runs off as Bunga explains who she really is. Before she goes off too far, Bunga and Binga stop her with their stink. Rani tells Ono that he was the one who figured out Mama Binturong's plan and thanks Ono for his help.

Poa the Destroyer
Rani hears that there's a bad guy named "Poa the destroyer" on the loose. After talking to Pinguino it turns out that it's just Kion's friend Beshte. She asks Baliyo to round up the rest of the Lion Guard. Rani asks Kion how well he knows Beshte. Rani tells Kion to come to the Tree of Life. Beshte wonders why the animals are scared of him? Rani explains and Beshte thinks he is a destroyer. Ono says once the animals get to know Beshte they're sure to like him. Rani tells the animals that there has been a misunderstanding. The Lion Guard tells the animals that Beshte isn't a bad guy. When the penguins show up, Rani sees that Pinguino is missing. She says that he needs to be here since he caused the biggest fuss. Kion asks Anga to find Beshte and Pinguino. They soon show up after saved Pinguino's life and Pinguino says that Beshte is now Poa the Life Saver. The animals soon cheer for Beshte. ​​​​​​

Long Live the Queen
Rani, the Night Pride and the Lion Guard are stopping Makcuha's army from preventing a family of Tigers from entering the Tree of Life. After Makucha's Army is forced to retreat, Rani invites the tigers to see Queen Janna. Ullu soon comes by saying that Queen Janna would like to see her and the Night Pride along with Kion. Rani sees a group of animals surrounding the Tree of Life and Rani realizes that Janna is about to pass away. Baliyo doesn't want to go in, but she and the Night Pride offer him emotional support. Queen Janna weakly says her goodbyes to her family and tells Rani that it's time for her to become queen. Rani thinks she isn't ready and Queen Janna says she is and that she has everything she needs to help her. She starts to cry as Queen Janna passes away. Kion gives Rani his condolences and Rani thanks him while crying on his shoulder as he sheds a tear as well. Makini soon tells the animals of the Tree of Life the sad news.

At the funeral, Rani is sad and alone so Kion goes to talk to her. Rani talks about her admiration for her grandmother and is worried she won't measure up to her. Kion encourages her and opens up about his own doubts when he started leading the Lion Guard. Kion tells her that he hasn't been talking to his grandfather Mufasa since he got his scar out of worry that he'll resemble Scar to Mufasa. Rani says we all have scars while showing him the scar on her fore paw and says "sisi ni sawa" which is what her Grandmother said that convinced Rani to let Kion into the Tree of Life, which is a decision Rani is now glad about. Rani tells Kion that just talking to Mufasa might make him feel better and Kion thanks her for the advice while telling Rani she's a lot like her Grandmother which leaves Rani taken aback by the favorable comparison. Makini soon shows Rani all the paintings that she made inside the Tree of Life that can be used for information whenever Rani needs it. The tigers soon come back and asks if they can stay at the Tree of Life. Rani says they're welcome to stay and goes with Bunga to find them a new home. Rani takes the tigers to a snow covered forest and vouches for them when the local animals are unsure about accepting them.

Rani goes to her coronation at sunset. Fuli, Anga and Nirmala greets Rani with a song as she becomes queen. All the animals cheer. That night Rani tells her spiritual grandmother that she's ready to be queen.

The Lake of Reflection
Rani and the Night Pride are forced to fight with Makucha's army at dawn, but the Night Pride is exhausted due to their normal shift being almost over. Kion and the Lion Guard arrive to try and help fight off their enemies, but Kion's orders interfere with Rani's orders, which causes the Night Pride and Lion Guard to stumble and collide into each other. Rani takes full command and they manage to drive off Makucha's army. Rani tells Kion to follow her lead from now on and that Kion has "potential" to be a great leader which Fuli and Bunga dispute saying that he already is a great leader. Despite being worried that he's not much a leader now when he can't control the roar, Kion offers the Lion Guard to patrol during the day so that Rani and the Night Pride can rest which Rani accepts. Fuli tells Rani that she's worried that Kion is getting worse because he now lacks confidence in himself while Rani tells Fuli to have faith in Nirmala's healing methods. But, Rani privately tells the Night Pride she's worried that Fuli is right about Kion's healing progress.

Rani goes to see Kion at the lake and Kion is still worried that his scar won't ever heal, which means that he can't use the Roar and can't lead the Lion Guard. Rani questions if Kion actually needs it and then floats the idea of what her Grandmother said about the Roar being destined to return meant that Kion would give up the Roar before departing the Tree of Life. Rani is then interrupted by a dispute between a panda and lemurs over who can eat from the best bamboo stand. Rani takes Kion's idea about going in shifts and the Panda and lemurs agree to it. Rani departs with the Lion Guard and admits to Fuli she's worried about Kion's progress as well and that Kion might have reached the limit of how much he will be healed. Fuli suggests they go back to the Pride Lands while Rani tells them she's worried Kion doesn't think he can lead the Lion Guard without the Roar which the others dispute. Rani is too tired to continue talking and goes off to rest. Makucha's army comes back to attack at sunset and Rani is the last to arrive. Since Rani hadn't arrived yet, Kion takes command and Rani is impressed when she makes it to the battle and witnesses Kion effectively leading the Lion Guard and Night Pride in coordinated attacks against the vicious and glutinous predators. After the battle is won, Rani appears and tells Kion that he is a great leader after all.

Triumph of the Roar
Makucha's army attacks again at sunrise and the Night Pride is exhausted due to their regular patrol being almost over. But Kion and the Lion Guard are well rested and fight off the group of predators. After forcing the predators to retreat, Nirmala tells Kion that he's finally healed and the Lion Guard takes that as a sign that they can go back to the Pride Lands. But, that troubles Rani and she asks if Kion and the Lion Guard have to leave right now. Kion eases Rani's concerns by telling her they still have to patrol the Tree of the Life during the day so that Rani and the Night Pride can go get some rest.

Bunga goes to the Tree of Life to speak to Rani and disturbs her sleep. Bunga thinks there's something weird going on with Kion regarding his Roar and Makini says that Kion may still be working on his roar. Makini teaches Rani all about Askari, the first leader of the Lion Guard. She says that Askari would go to Chikha Escarpment to practice the Roar. Rani has an epiphany about Kion and the Roar and she wants to see him alone, but Bunga insists on tagging along and she reluctantly brings him with her. They watch Kion using the Roar in different ways and are astonished. Soon they hear from Anga about Makucha's army attacking animals at the Tree of Life. Anga brings them to the battle and Kion uses the full extent of his new roar abilities on the army. He blasts them with concentrated bursts, creates small twisters, and even summons lightning to save the Night Pride trapped behind a boulder in the Tree of Life. Everybody, including Rani, is amazed at Kion's new abilities and Kion roars a tornado that sweeps up every member of Makucha's army and sends them all far away from the Tree of Life, ending their threat for good. After realizing the full power of Kion's roar, Rani asks Kion to stick around instead of returning to the Pride Lands which leaves Kion and the Lion Guard stunned.

Journey to the Pride Lands
After Kion is finished speaking to Mufasa, Rani comes up to Kion and asks if he thought about what she said? Kion teases her about when she initially stated he would never be welcome at the Tree of Life and Rani says it's funny how things can change once you get to know someone. They both think that they make a great team and confess their feelings for each other singing Of the Same Pride.

Rani tells Kion that she could use his help to maintain peace at the Tree of Life. Kion replies that she doesn't need anyone's help with that since she's already a great leader. Rani thanks Kion for the compliment and says that she wants to be a great Queen as well and that a great Queen could use a great king and floats the idea of Kion being her King and mate. Before Kion can answer, the guard arrives and they're wondering why they haven't departed yet? Rani wishes that they would consider staying and most of the Lion Guard are open to the idea except for Fuli who is reluctant.

Soon, Azaad comes and Fuli asks Rani how she knows him. She says that he's been to the Tree of Life before. Rani asks why he's here and Azaad says that he was showing travelers how to get to the Tree of Life. Kion's friends, Janja and Jasiri, come and tell the guard that Zira and her Pride have come into the Outlands. Kion knows that it's his duty to protect the Pride Lands from Zira and decides to head back. Makini chooses to stay since she's now Rani's Royal Mjuzi. Rani says goodbye to the Guard and tells Kion that she meant what she said and Rani hopes that maybe the Roar will return to the Tree of Life again someday.

Return to the Pride Lands
After deciding to give up the Roar and handing it over to the new Lion Guard's leader Vitani, Kion asks the rest of his Guard if they would like to protect the Tree of Life. They all agree and head back to the tree. With all of Kion's family and friends watching him, Kion becomes Rani's new king.

Songs

 * Welcome to the Tree of Life
 * Of the Same Pride

Family

 * Janna: Paternal Grandmother †
 * Sãhasí: Father †
 * Ãnanda: Mother †
 * Surak: Paternal Uncle
 * Baliyo: Brother
 * Kion: Mate
 * Simba: Father-in-Law
 * Nala: Mother-in-Law
 * Kiara: Sister-in-Law
 * Kovu: Brother-in-Law
 * Mufasa: Grandfather-in-Law †
 * Sarabi: Grandmother-in-Law
 * Bunga Adopted Uncle-in-Law