Kion? Really?
That is the extent of the writers imagination.
shareInteresting name choice. Doesn't sound like the African or "Black" names used in the previous Lion Kings.
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MovieChat Forums > The Lion Guard Discussion > Kion? Really?
I'm sure all the names chosen mean something in Swahili or another African language...just like the names from TLK.
shareLess than half the names in TLK had a swahili translation, Simba - lion (among other things), Rafiki - friend, Shenzi - uncouth, Pumbaa - simpleton, Sarabi - mirage (5/11-12, depending on how you count Nala's mother). SP was slightly better, Zira - hate, Kovu - scar, Nuka - stink (3/5 of the new named characters).
shareSo I guess names such as Timon, Banzai, Zazu, Nala, Sarafina (possibly), Kiara, Vitani, Mufasa, Taka, etc., have meanings derived from other languages, or were just made up to "sound African?" Well, I knew several were Swahili, at any rate.
shareMufasa - possibly named after a real person
Taka - non-canon, but has Swahili meaning ('rubbish' among other things)
Vitani - originally Shetani('demon')
Kiara - Irish ('dark')
Banzai - Japanese ('immortality'), supposedly 'lurk' in Swahili, but that's considered dubious
Timon - a proper name in Greek (linking him to Timon of Phlius is probably reading too much into it)
Nala - unknown, possibly invented, the supposed Swahili meaning ('gift') is considered dubious
Sarafina - unkown
Zazu - unknown, listed as a proper name
Hmm, interesting.
Oooh, "demon." Wow. Vitani is one of my favorite characters and names.
Kiara does sound Irish, now that I think about it. :D And of course Banzai=Japanese...
I just can't figure out why the OP thought Kion sounded "unimaginative" on the writers' parts.
Nor I. Also, IMO Kiara and Banzai were probably 'invented' rather than drawn from any source, so any links would be coincidental.
shareAt least none of them sound out of place.
And it's not as if they called Kion Matt or Josh or Billy or anything that sticks out like an unimaginative sore thumb. xD
You mean like Scar or Ed?
shareWell, Scar is obviously a nickname that stuck for obvious reasons, so I wasn't really counting that. And Ed actually does stand out, but it doesn't feel too weird for him because he also stands out (as a particularly dumb, goofy, mute--not to mention honest--hyena.) I always did wonder what it stood for, though, if anything.
shareI don't know about Kiara sounding Irish though, there was a black girl I knew in school named that.
I remember reading somewhere Vitani's name was originally supposed to be "Shetani" because it meant "demon," but Disney was concerned that it would sound too much like "sh!t" so they changed it to Vitani, which has no translation in Swahili.
Personally I don't mind the name Kion, or any of the names in TLK series for that matter. For all the controversies that sprouted up when TLK first came out in '94 (for example some people believed the segregation of the hyenas was an allegory for everything from black-and-white people segregation to the West Bank) naming is hardly something I'd consider getting up in arms about.
I will admit though I always found it strange that even though most of the characters in TLK have Swahili names (real or otherwise) the three hyenas are named Shenzi (Swahili), Ed and Banzai (Japanese). Ed I could understand because he seemed simple, but a Japanese name seemed an odd choice.
Can't be too careful with all those weirdos running around.
I know an Irish girl named Ciara, but I believe it's pronounced differently (I only know her via her website, so I haven't actually heard her say her name!) "Kee-arr-uh" may have a Gaelic meaning as well, though; I'm not certain.
Haha, yes, "Shetani" would probably have come out like "sh!t," unfortunately. But I do love the sound of Vitani even if it has no particular meaning.
I never questioned it (probably because I was 7 when TLK came out and the hyenas were some of my favorite characters), but the Japanese name is a bit randomly out-of-place.
(Also, I love your other thoughts regarding Scar's ghost appearing, how he could've potentially been used in Simba's Pride, & whether or not he'd be up in the stars with the other kings...maybe since he wasn't a "great king," he'd be in another place? And Kopa, too...bit of a shame that they never decided to acknowledge his existence in canon despite the fact that most big fans know of him and like the idea of him being real...)
Kiara is pronounced differently in Irish, it's pronounced the same as Kiera (Kee-ra)
Kiara as it's pronounced in the TLK sounds more African than Irish
It is Swahili for "to be taken" according to Google.... so yeah
shareIt is Swahili for "to be taken" according to Google.... so yeah
Well, the story revolves around the Lion Guard's duty to protecting the Pride Lands as well as the prince himself. Perhaps his name is a foreshadow of just how many times they will fail in this duty...
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I think everyone missed the point op was trying to make. Replacing one letter in "lion" to make "kion" regardless of any meaning does look kind of sloppy.
shareI'm curious as to how does he have a small mane starting to grow on his head when he's a small cub. Lol
Good girls go to heaven, all the bad bitches come with me
It's possible that Kiara and Kion were born seasons apart, Kiara is clearly more older than Kion is though, he'd be like a pre teen whereas Kiara is teen, basically.
shareLol if he were a pre teen he'd be way huger than that.
Either "WE" f*<kin or "I'M" f*<kin- Bill Cosby
Well, not necessarily, he is quite big already for a cub, and his mane is growing in visibly, not the age Simba is in TLK 1.5 where he's a true adolescent in voice and appearance, Kion is probably getting there.
Interestingly Kion in his supposed 'cub' stage has a mane tuft, where as Simba in his 'cub' stage had just a tuft of fur on his head, BUT in SP Kovu in his 'cub' stage had a mane tuft like Kion but also had mane tufts coming out of his arms like Scar, yet he was the size of a cub, either Disney can't show age properly or development issues, growth stunt, maybe next season he'll hit a major growth spurt, or he's a late bloomer, though he doesn't carry the same attitude and behaviour as cub Kovu or Simba, but everyone's different, right? a nice mix of maturity and immaturity he is.
Kiara seems mentally and physically maturer than him though, I hope Disney explains this.