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| Shenzi's clan | |
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The Outlands (currently) |
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The Hyenas are a pack of spotted hyenas who lived in the Elephant Graveyard during the reign of Mufasa. They later became allied with Scar under the leadership of their matriarch Shenzi.
Information
The Lion King
| “ | Look at you guys. No wonder we're dangling at the bottom of the food chain.
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The most famous of the clan are Banzai, Ed, and Shenzi, the "friends" and allies of Scar. The three first appear in the Elephant Graveyard, trying to dispose of Simba and Nala when they wander into their territory, a plan later revealed to be orchestrated by Scar. When the hyenas fail due to Mufasa's intervention, Scar is furious but quickly forms another plan, promising the hyenas that when he becomes king, they will never go hungry again.
An explanation of pack structure
The hyenas then kill Mufasa via a stampede and chase Simba away from his father's dead body. They try to kill Simba, but when he runs through a dense thorn thicket, they give up on the chase and decide to only kill him if he returns to the kingdom. After the monarch and his heir are done away with, the hyenas infest the Pride Lands and become Scar's bodyguards and minions.
Much later, as the Pride Lands have become barren, the hyenas start to become more hungry and complain to their king, but Scar simply ignores them.
When Simba returns from his self-exile from the Pride Lands, the hyenas reinforce Scar's position as king when Simba orders for Scar to step down. After Scar gets his nephew to confess his responsibility for Mufasa's death, the hyenas surround the two lions as they head toward the edge of Pride Rock, presumably protecting Scar.
Scar's army of hyenas
After Simba gets Scar to confess that he killed Mufasa, a climatic battle between the Pridelanders and the hyenas breaks out while Simba goes after Scar at the top of Pride Rock in hopes of avenging his father's death. Scar tells an enraged Simba that the hyenas are "the real enemies," which angers the hyenas, who overhear him. A brief duel erupts between the two lions, which ends with Simba flipping his uncle over a cliff where Scar lands in an area among the defeated hyenas.
The hyenas, determined to get revenge on Scar, surround their fallen leader to eat him alive. Scar continually pleads for his life but the hyenas ignore him. The hyenas leap upon Scar and begin to devour him alive as they are all engulfed in flames. However, the former are confirmed to have made it out alive in the sequel.
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
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According to Nuka, the hyenas fled the Pride Lands after the battle, implying that some, if not all, hyenas survived the battle of Pride Rock.
The Lion King 1½
| “ | Timon: Hey, Pumbaa. What do you call a hyena with half a brain? Pumbaa: Beats me, Timon. What? Timon: Gifted!
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When Timon and Pumbaa venture into a different section of the Elephant Graveyard, they view Scar's hyena army singing "Be Prepared" while marching. Later on in the film, after Timon and Pumbaa perform their hula song to clear the way for Simba to confront Scar, some of the hyenas pursue them, only to flee after being gassed by Pumbaa's stench.
The hyenas as they appear in The Lion King 1½
After Timon reunites with his mother and his uncle, Pumbaa notices the hyenas protecting Scar while Simba is dangling from the edge of Pride Rock. Timon coordinates a plan for Ma and Uncle Max to dig a tunnel to trap the hyenas while he and Pumbaa try to get the hyenas away from Simba.
When Simba goes after Scar, the hyenas follow him and try to prevent him from reaching Scar but are distracted by Timon and Pumbaa, who insult the hyena pack with offensive jokes. Ed stupidly laughs at them, causing Banzai to slap him. The hyenas then go after Timon and Pumbaa and manage to corner them in a cave of Pride Rock. Timon and Pumbaa try several tactics to stall them while Uncle Max and Ma dig a tunnel underneath them to make the hyenas fall off Pride Rock, but when the trap tunnel initially fails, the hyenas move in to kill Ma, Pumbaa, and Uncle Max. Unwilling to give up, Timon jumps down between Shenzi's legs and bravely completes the tunnel. The hyenas then fall through the ground and plummet to the bottom of Pride Rock, where they meet Scar after he is thrown off a cliff by Simba.
The Lion King: Six New Adventures
A Tale of Two Brothers
| “ | Taka: No wonder you begged me to join your little gang. Banzai: Hey! Who begged who? Shenzi: He's right.
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The hyenas are first mentioned when Rafiki tells a story about Mufasa and Scar. It is recounted that they had helped Scar take over the Pride Lands and deplete it of resources.
In Rafiki's story, Banzai, Ed, and Shenzi seem to be the only hyenas allied to Scar when he is a young adult. It could be possible Scar didn't know about the rest of the clan, but this is unlikely, since it is revealed that they begged him to join their gang. However, the gang is described as being little, so it could be that just those three started the pack or that the hyena clan wasn't as big then as it is in the film.
The Lion Guard
A clan of hyenas serve as antagonists of The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar and its follow-up series The Lion Guard. They are descendants of the hyenas from the original film and are led by Janja.
Notable Members
| Name | Information | Format | Appearances | Picture |
| Banzai | Banzai is a member of the hyena pack and one of Shenzi's closest friends. He appears to be the second-in-charge. | Film | The Lion King The Lion King 1½ The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa |
File:Who's the pig.png |
| Ed | Ed is a member of the hyena pack and one of Shenzi's closest friends. He serves as the comic relief. | Film | The Lion King The Lion King 1½ The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa |
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| Shenzi | Shenzi is a member of the hyena pack, serving as its matriarch. She is close friends with Banzai and Ed. | Film | The Lion King The Lion King 1½ The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa |
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| Janja | Janja is a member of the Outlands' hyena pack, serving as its leader. His closest allies are Cheezi and Chungu. | Television | The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar The Lion Guard |
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| Cheezi | Cheezi is a member of the Outlands' hyena pack and is one of Janja's closest allies. | Television | The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar The Lion Guard |
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| Chungu | Chungu is a member of the Outlands' hyena pack and is one of Janja's closest allies. | Television | The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar The Lion Guard |
File:Chungu.png |
Trivia
- The hyenas were animated by Dave Burgess and Alex Kupershmidt.[2]
- In the stage musical, it is revealed that the hyenas are the cause of the famine, as they force the lionesses to overhunt.
- During "Be Prepared," the hyena army is shown marching like Nazis.[3]
- It is possible that the hyenas were reintegrated into the Pride Lands after the defeat of Scar, as they appear to be Pridelanders in Vulture Shock.[4]
- During the early stages of the film, Zira was supposed to ally with the surviving members of Scar's army. Cheech Marin even reprised his role as Banzai for the sequel.[5]
- Originally, Scar's minions were cape dogs.[6]
Gallery
 The Lion King Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Shenzi's clan. |
