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| Shenzi's clan | |
|---|---|
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| Organizational information | |
| Leader | |
| Notable members | |
| Location |
• Elephant Graveyard (formerly) |
| Affiliation |
Pride Landers (formerly) |
| Status |
Undetermined |
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Shenzi's clan is a clan of hyenas who lived in the Elephant Graveyard during the reign of Mufasa. After forming an alliance with Mufasa's brother, Scar, they invaded the Pride Lands and hunted it into ruin. Eventually, Simba reclaimed his birthright as the king of Pride Rock, and Shenzi's clan betrayed and killed Scar and fled the kingdom.
History[]
Mufasa's reign[]
Enmity with the Pride Landers[]
Due to their ravenous appetites, Shenzi's clan was forbidden entry to the Pride Lands. If they ever attempted to cross the border, they were forcibly driven out. As a result, they lived in the Elephant Graveyard. At some point, they befriended Scar, the younger brother of King Mufasa.[1]
Encounter with Simba and Nala[]
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One day, Mufasa's young son, Simba, ventured into the Elephant Graveyard with his friend, Nala. Though Zazu urged the cubs to return to the Pride Lands, they refused and were subsequently confronted by Shenzi and her cohorts, Banzai and Ed. Upon learning of Simba's identity, Shenzi threatened him, and the hyenas began to make jokes about how they would eat him and Nala. In doing so, they got distracted long enough for Simba, Nala, and Zazu to escape.
Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed confront Simba and Nala for trespassing on their land.
While Simba and Nala managed to get away, Zazu got captured by the hyenas and put into the "birdie boiler." Simba and Nala came back for Zazu, only to get chased by Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed. After an extended chase, the hyenas cornered Simba and Nala against a wall, and Simba attempted to protect Nala. The hyenas merely mocked him for his pitiful roars.
Just then, Mufasa intervened and overpowered the hyenas. He warned them never to come near his son again, to which Shenzi and Banzai feigned ignorance. However, Ed confirmed that he had recognized Simba, which made Mufasa roar in outrage. Terrified, the hyenas fled.[1]
Alliance with Scar[]
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In the aftermath of the fight with Mufasa, Banzai nursed his wounds in an area of geysers. Ed mocked him for his injuries, but Shenzi ordered the two to stop bickering. She and Banzai proceeded to insult lions, only for Scar to reveal his presence from a nearby ledge. Relieved, the hyenas pointed out that he was one of them and their "pal." In answer, Scar gave them a zebra haunch, emphasizing that he had "gift-wrapped" the cubs for them, and they had still failed to kill them. Shenzi pointed out that Simba and Nala had not been alone, to which Banzai asked if they should be expected to kill Mufasa. To the hyenas' surprise, Scar replied, "Precisely."
The hyenas pledge their loyalty to Scar in exchange for food.
As Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed looked on, Scar revealed his plot to kill both Mufasa and Simba. The rest of Shenzi's clan approached and pledged their loyalty to Scar in exchange for food.
Later, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed waited by a herd of wildebeests for Scar's signal to start a stampede in the gorge. Upon Scar's appearance, the hyenas drove the herd into the gorge, where Scar had led an oblivious Simba. Meanwhile, Scar lured Mufasa to the scene and took advantage of the chaos to throw Mufasa off the side of the gorge to his death.
The hyenas attempt to kill Simba.
With Mufasa dead, Scar ordered Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed to kill Simba. They chased him through the gorge, only to lose him when he rolled down a steep embankment and crawled away through some thorns. Assuming that he would die of exposure, the hyenas left him for dead and reported to Scar that they had finished the job.
Believing both Mufasa and Simba to be dead, Scar delivered a eulogy to his pride, during which he accepted the throne of Pride Rock. He then revealed that he had formed an alliance with the hyenas and invited them to live in the Pride Lands. The hyenas, in turn, streamed into Pride Rock, to the lionesses' horror.[1]
Scar's reign[]
Famine[]
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The hyenas confront Scar about the famine.
Under Scar's reign, the hyenas overtook the Pride Lands. In time, the kingdom became a desolate wasteland, plagued by drought and famine. The herds, in turn, fled the Pride Lands, leaving the hyenas and the lionesses to starve.
One day, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed confronted Scar in his den, complaining about the lack of food. Unaffected, he offered up Zazu as food, but Banzai simply muttered a sarcastic complaint about how he had thought that things were bad under Mufasa. An enraged Scar demanded to know what Banzai had said, but, with some prompting from Shenzi, he pretended that he had never mentioned Mufasa. Scar then ordered the hyenas to leave. Banzai pointed out that they were still hungry, but Scar simply yelled at them to get out of his den.[1]
Battle for Pride Rock[]
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Shenzi's clan supports Scar's claim to the throne of Pride Rock.
One day, a full-grown Simba returned to Pride Rock and ordered Scar to abdicate the throne. Scar pointed out that the hyenas recognized his claim to the throne, but the lionesses voiced their support of Simba. Simba told Scar that he could step down or fight, but Scar instead guilt-tripped Simba into confessing his part in Mufasa's death. Along with the hyenas, Scar backed Simba toward the promontory of Pride Rock and nearly threw him into a fire that had ignited at the base below. However, when Scar whispered into Simba's ear that he had killed Mufasa, Simba leaped back onto Pride Rock and forced Scar to confess the truth in front of the lionesses.
At Scar's confession, the lionesses leaped into battle, and the hyenas swarmed Simba. Together with his allies, Simba managed to overpower the hyenas and forced many of them to flee Pride Rock. Meanwhile, Timon, Pumbaa, and Zazu defeated Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed in the den of Pride Rock.[1]
The hyenas turn on Scar for betraying them to Simba.
Some of the hyenas attempted to protect Scar from Simba, but Timon and Pumbaa lured them away with an offensive joke. After chasing the duo up Pride Rock, the hyenas cornered them against a rock wall. Timon and Pumbaa attempted to distract the hyenas while Ma and Max dug a trap tunnel beneath them, but the plan failed, and the hyenas advanced on their prey. At the last moment, Timon jumped down into the trap tunnel and completed it, opening a fissure in the ground that swallowed up the hyenas.[2]
When Simba cornered Scar on Pride Rock with the intent to kill him, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed witnessed Scar framing them as the "real enemy," which caused them to growl and abandon him to his fate. Scar attempted to fight off Simba, but the younger lion overpowered him and tossed him off Pride Rock. In the wake of the fight, the hyenas confronted Scar for his betrayal and, ignoring his pleas, ate him alive amidst the flames at the base of Pride Rock.[1]
Legacy[]
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While gathering fire at the Elephant Graveyard with his sister, Vitani, Nuka commented that the place had become even creepier since the hyenas had "run off."[3]
Notable members[]
Appearances[]
Films Television series Books Short stories Comics
Magazine stories |
Trivia[]
General[]
- The hyenas were animated by Dave Burgess and Alex Kupershmidt.[4][5]
- Shenzi is shown to be the matriarch of the clan. This is akin to real-life hyena hierarchy, as females are the dominant gender.[6]
- In the stage musical version of The Lion King, it is revealed that the hyenas were the cause of the famine, as they forced the lionesses to over-hunt.[7]
- A teaser for The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar posits that Janja's clan is descended from Shenzi's clan.[8]
- In The Lion King: Six New Adventures, it is implied that the hyenas were allowed back into the Pride Lands after the defeat of Scar. This is shown in Vulture Shock when they appear alongside the other Pride Landers.[9]
- This is at odds with both The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and The Lion Guard, which both imply that the hyenas were exiled from the Pride Lands under Simba's reign.[10][11]
In development[]
- In early drafts of The Lion King, Scar's minions were cape dogs rather than hyenas.[12]
- According to production notes for The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, the hyenas were slated to appear in the film as allies of Brutus, a rogue elephant. Together, they schemed to take over the Pride Lands and force Scar's son, Kovu, to do their bidding.[13]
- During early production of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, the hyenas formed an alliance with Zira (then named Bianca).[14][15]
- Banzai was set to appear in the film, as Cheech Marin reportedly reprised his role.[16]
- In an early draft of The Lion King 1½, Timon, Pumbaa, and Simba's pride chased the hyenas away from Pride Rock following the final battle.[17]
