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Kovu

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Description

GENERATION: 9
SOURCE: Canon Character; based on "Kovu" from The Lion King 2
RESIDENCE: Pride Lands | Out Lands (formerly)
TITLE: Crown Prince (formerly) | Rogue (formerly) | Prince-consort
PARENTS: Chagua and Tama
SIBLINGS: Ekundu | Orji
MATE: Kiara
CHILDREN: Ojore | Choto | Kali

PERSONALITY: Crude | Independent | Determined | Assertive | Combative | Brave | Protective | Kind-hearted | Gentle | Smart | Prideful | Just | Bull-headed | Aggressive | Self-conscious | Regretful | Ashamed | Troubled
PHYSICALITY: Lean | Muscular | Handsome

BIO:
UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Kovu is the orphan son of Chagua and Tama, ripped away from his birth mother moments after being born and forced into the role of Scar's heir. His mother dies bringing him into the world, luckily for the dark king, as Scar does not want the pride to know he failed to produce an heir of his own. He is chosen from  his siblings simply for looking like the dark king, the only thing that saves him from the terrible fate that befalls his brothers. No one knows that night that there was another cub of Tama's who had lived... Zira had given birth days before and had not yet presented her cubs to the pride, and so she was the perfect candidate to claim the cub as her own. Scar names the young cub "Kovu", meaning "scar", an extension of his ego and pride. Zira takes the cub in gladly, happy to be raising her love's new son and heir for the king, hoping it would bring her closer to being Scar's mate and queen. Everyone thinks he is the son of Scar and Zira, for many years.

Following the death of the treacherous King and Zira's exile to the Out Lands, Kovu is brought along with the rest of the outsiders. Devastated at the death of her love, Zira swears to raise Kovu to overthrow Simba and take back the throne in the name of Scar. Kovu's upbringing is harsh, Zira is more like a military commander than a mother, and she treats him as soldier first and a son second. He is taught that his sole purpose is to hate the Pride Landers for what they stole, and to kill Simba and all he loved. He was to be King just as Scar intended, and he would crush whoever got in the way of his destiny. Zira shapes him into the killer she desires, squashing any sign of the kind and gentle child that Kovu once was.

He is trained into the perfect killer, forced to use his own friends and pride members as training dummys, and ordered to kill any who Zira points him at. He is the perfect assassin and the perfect soldier. He is muscular and strong, his eyes sharp and fierce, and his heart hardened. When Kovu comes of age, he is deemed ready to face his destiny and take back his throne.  He is sent to infiltrate the pride and kill the King when he is alone. The Outsiders are confident in their victory; Simba would not stand a chance against a battle-trained opponent, someone who raised solely to kill like Kovu.

Despite their certainty, Zira was no fool, and knew that there was always a chance Kovu could fail. She orders her daughter Vitani and Kovu to mate, ensuring that even if he fails there will be someone left of Scar's blood to avenge him. She chooses Vitani selfishly, wanting to tie her blood to Scar's in the only way she could, and despite the two's sibling bond justifies it as them being adopted. Kovu and Vitani are not happy at this prospect, but Zira had given them an order, and they had not yet gained the willpower to disobey their mother.

Kovu sets out on his missions soon after, ready to fulfill his destiny.

No one expects Kovu to fall for Princess Kiara, Simba's daughter. Weeks go by living with the Pride Landers, waiting for the perfect opportunity to catch Simba alone. His attempts are continuously thwarted by the young idiot princess, much to Kovu's annoyance. She is too loud, too carefree, too coddled... too kind. The young lion comes to care for her, slowly coaxing out a softer side to Kovu long buried by years of brainwashing and training. The way the Pride Landers do things are very much a culture shock to the young lion, especially with how Kiara's family treated one another. There were no beatings, no harsh training sessions, no orders... just love. These weren't the evil lions that his mother made them out to be. It's a sobering slap, and Kovu finds he can't go through with his mission.

Kovu's refusal to kill Simba results in the death of his adoptive brother Nuka, and Zira banishes him from the pride, fearing her once-favourite son has been corrupted by the Pride Landers. When each pride confronts each other for the final time, Kovu and Kiara stop the fighting, pleading with each side to not fight each other any longer. Refusing to let go of her hate, Zira dies in the scuffle, abandoned by her own pride. Despite Zira being terrible mother and her derrangement, Kovu can't help but mourn for her. She was the only mother he had ever known, and he is forever wracked by guilt for the death of her and Nuka.

His new life in the Pride Lands begins, but happiness is fleeting for the young lion. He feels lost, unsure of his purpose in the world now, despite the love and support of Kiara Kovu's demons plague him for many years. He goes on to have children, who he loves very much, but is often emotionally absent and unsure how to approach  the parenting of his cubs. When Kovu looks back on his own cubhood, all he knows is abuse and pain, and he struggles to apply the softness that a father needs. Rather than talk about his cubhood and any bad memories he has of his life, he pushes them down in hopes they will go away on their own.
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Loving Sunset by DemiiDee Waiting at Sunset by DemiiDee King and a Lionheart by DemiiDee Uptown Girl by DemiiDee Better than he can by DemiiDee

EDIT: Updated art and made slight design changes.  I decided to go against my "don't change anything in the movies" rule just this once for Kovu's design, and I kept his cub ear rims for his adult design. This is due to the fact that it bothers me that they just vanish when he's older, when in my headcanon things like ear rims stay. Like or hate this change, the ear rims stay.
View old version here

EDIT2: Changed Kovu's eye colour. It was a really icky shade of green, and I feel they're a lot better now. All of Kovu's relations with this same shade (Khari, Chagua, Mbamba, Kali, etc) will also be edited to match Kovu's. Sorry guys, but I feel they just compliment his other colours a lot more this way. 
Image size
5750x3550px 6.49 MB
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Comments49
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Bellateda's avatar

He looks so smug here!😍