Rei Ahadi

INFORMATION ABOUT

Ahadi is a Lion. He is the King of Pride Rock who preceded Mufasa. He is the husband of Uru, with whom he had two sons: Mufasa and Taka. It is suggested that after the birth of his sons, Ahadi showed strong favoritism towards the eldest, Mufasa, due to his obedient and responsible nature. This alienated Ahadi from his younger son, Taka, who grew to resent his father and older brother. During a drought, Ahadi watched over the Pride Lands until Taka later lured Ahadi into a canyon and then killed Ahadi as he killed Mufasa and Mufasa as a cub crying looks at Ahadi dead. Species: Lion Gender: Male Status: Dead Country: Mohatu †(father or father-in-law) Other relatives: Sarabi (daughter-in-law) Simba (grandson) Nala (daughter-in-law) Kiara (great-granddaughter) Kopa (great-grandson) Kion (great-grandson) Kovu (great-grandson) Rani (great granddaughter) Partner(s) Uru †(companion) Children: Mufasa †(eldest son) Scar †(youngest son)

PERSONALITY

Ahadi was well known for his bravery, having resolved numerous crises and faced many dangers. Not much could be said about his use of power; however, it was suggested that he was responsible and used his powers only for the benefit of his subjects, rather than to achieve his own ends. This in turn benefits the kingdom as a whole, even if some subjects (namely the hyenas) were left dissatisfied or discontented. When it comes to the will of his subjects, Ahadi lends an ear, but does not tolerate being talked down to and refuses to take the blame for problems that are not his fault. He addresses the complaints of the Pridelanders as best he can, but does not defer to subordinates and instead ensures that all laws are obeyed, evident when he reprimands the hyenas for attempting to kill for sport, an action not allowed in the Pride Lands. Ahadi's firmness is not limited to his subjects. Even in family matters, he remains firm. Refusing to submit to his own children, Ahadi goes so far as to break a promise he made to Taka in order to solve a more pressing problem. He apologizes, lets Taka accept the apology as he sees fit, and moves on, mostly ignoring any animosity Taka might retaliate with. Despite this, Ahadi cared deeply for his children and was very angry with Boma's herd when they nearly killed his son. Ahadi was, however, berating his son as well for nearly killing his family. Rumor has it that he and his wife, Uru, did not love each other, and merely put up with each other. Ahadi was temperamental and brutal, so much so that he slapped Taka, drawing blood from the young lion, thus creating the scar, and then struck Uru, but did not draw blood.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

"He had a long black mane and bright green eyes."--A physical description of Ahadi When it comes to size, Ahadi's exact stature was difficult to gauge, though he appears to be roughly the same size as his eldest son, Mufasa, if not larger. Ahadi stood at 11 feet (3.3 m) long and weighed 700 pounds (310 kg). Like his son, Ahadi sported a stocky build with broad shoulders, rounded muscles, and an expansive chest with the added volume of his mane. His face was broad and somewhat short, and his jaw was square and strong. While his muzzle, paws, and belly were all light-colored, Ahadi's coat was noticeably darker, being a dirty gold as opposed to the lighter tones of his packmates. Brighter in color, however, was Ahadi's mane, colored a lush red with darker fur combing the tips. His eyes mirror those of his eldest son, being reddish-brown. The rims of his eyes, however, are highly unusual, with the upper shade being dark while the lower shade is red. Ahadi passed on many traits to his children, though the similarities differ depending on the source. According to the illustrations, Ahadi and Mufasa share body structure, fur and eye coloration, and colored paws. However, the text of A Tale of Two Brothers conflicts with the appearance described above, as the author describes Ahadi as having a black mane and green eyes, as opposed to a red mane and reddish-brown eyes. This description would make Ahadi's appearance similar to that of his younger son, Taka.

BACKGROUND STORY

At the beginning of the story, a traveling mandrill named Rafiki wanders the Pride Lands in search of knowledge and wisdom. Upon entering the kingdom, however, he is attacked by Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed and cornered at the Five Stones. It is at this time that Ahadi, the Lion King, decides to intervene, alongside his two sons, Mufasa and Taka. After questioning the hyenas about their intentions, he reprimands them for disrespecting the kingdom's rules and then sends them away without further hesitation. After the hyenas leave, Rafiki is introduced to Ahadi by Mufasa. The two have a brief conversation, in which Ahadi learns that Rafiki is gaining much knowledge in the area of ​​healing plants and their properties. Intrigued by the mandrill's knowledge, Ahadi invites Rafiki to come to Pride Rock and share some of his wisdom with the kingdom, as help is desperately needed. The two end up talking for hours, and when night finally falls, Ahadi offers Rafiki a place to stay for the night. The next morning, a mob of angry Pridelanders come to Ahadi, demanding to know how he is going to fix the various problems facing the Pride Lands. At first, the king is unable to say a word, but when Zuzu, a flirtatious hornbill, backs up an ostrich in her claim that hyenas are causing trouble over the lands, Ahadi extracts a promise to fix the problem. Before he can begin to do so, however, Taka interrupts, reminding his father that he had promised to take his sons hunting that morning. Regrettably, Ahadi is forced to postpone the trip, a turn of events that does not please Taka. When the young lion expresses great frustration over his father's royal duties, Ahadi is forced to remind Taka that ruling a kingdom requires great responsibility, something that Mufasa seems to understand.

BACKGROUND STORY

Taka becomes very angry at this and begins accusing Ahadi of showing favoritism towards his eldest son, which prompts defensive comments from Mufasa. Before the argument can escalate any further, the other Pridelanders demand that the lions stop arguing over the throne and instead focus on the issues at hand. To satisfy their demands, Ahadi agrees to begin taming the hyenas. However, he makes no promises about the drought, as there is nothing he can do until his mate, Uru, returns, who is searching for a new water supply. As he turns to leave, Ahadi tries to apologize to his son for the misfortune, but Taka refuses to forgive his father for breaking his promise. The king then turns to Rafiki and comments that it would be much easier to learn about small problems before they become big ones. He then departs across the savannah. As they walk away, Zuzu flies up to Rafiki and comments on his bravery, praising him for being so strong in such a situation. Some time later, Mufasa and Taka are attacked by a Cape buffalo named Boma and his herd, and Ahadi, having been notified by Zuzu, rushes to their aid at the head of a herd of elephants. After surrounding the buffalo with his band of loyal followers, the king demands an explanation from the shrunken creatures. The buffalo are quick to blame Mufasa and Taka, but their accusations are soon interrupted by Mufasa himself, who warns his father that Taka is injured. Although Rafiki promises to take care of the young lion, Ahadi still threatens the buffalo that it had better not be a serious injury.

BACKGROUND STORY

Under Rafiki's careful direction, the group moves Taka to Pride Rock so that he can be properly treated with herbs. After being patched up by Rafiki, Taka is informed that he will heal, though his scar will remain. Ahadi then adds that this will serve as a reminder of his recklessness. When Taka admits his doubts about Mufasa and his father's broken promise, Ahadi gently reprimands his son and expresses his hopes that the newly formed scar will serve as a lifelong reminder for Taka. After leaving Taka to think things over alone, Ahadi, Mufasa, and Rafiki talk to Zuzu, who had been hovering around during the entire ordeal. Together, the four discuss the kingdom's problems, eventually coming to the conclusion that Ahadi needs a steward to assist him in the kingdom's affairs. Ahadi immediately offers the position to Zuzu, who proudly accepts. The king then asks Rafiki to be his advisor. Though the mandrill is hesitant at first, he eventually relents, as long as he can do missions every now and then. As the decisions are finalized, Ahadi proclaims to the others that he can sense a great era beginning for all of the Pride Lands.

CURIOSITIES

- It is not known whether Ahadi is Mohatu's son or son-in-law. According to The Lion Guard, The Pridelands does not appear to make use of the title of Consort, as Kovu is referred to as a future King despite not being related to Scar or Simba, so it is completely unknown who Mohatu sired. - Ahadi's name in Swahili means "promise", which proves ironic, as Ahadi ends up breaking a promise made to his children, which leads Taka to try to humiliate Mufasa, but ends up being scarred in the process. - Although Ahadi did not make a physical appearance in animated form, he was mentioned by Mufasa in the original The Lion King film, where he tells his son, "Let me tell you something my father told me" during the part where Simba and his father Mufasa watch the stars at night to remind him of the Great Kings of the Past who watch over Mufasa.