Summary: Kion learns of the threat of the Outsiders when Jasiri asks for his help in the Outlands.
This episode contains examples of:
- An Aesop:
- Don't believe everything you hear.
- Always trust those who are loyal to you; never believe your enemies.
- Berserk Button: Zira flips out when Kion tells her that Scar was never the rightful king of the Pridelands. It's revealed she also attacked Simba for telling her the same thing, though it didn't end well for her.
- Bond Villain Stupidity: There was nothing stopping Zira and the Outsiders from killing Kion, but she stops everything to go and bring her children to bear witness to Kion making his final decision to not join her side, giving Kion an opportunity to escape which he nearly makes good on. Perhaps Zira isn't done with Kion just yet.
- The Bus Came Back: This is the first appearance of Zira, Nuka, Vitani, and Kovu since Simba's Pride, which was released roughly twenty years before this episode aired. Chronologically, this takes place after Kovu's first meeting with Kiara.
- Cat Fight: A literal example between two female cat-like characters, Fuli (a cheetah) and Vitani (a Lion) in the episode's climax. Fuli Wins.
- Children Are Innocent: Kovu most definitely. He sounds quite happy to meet Kion and innocently suggests that Kion and Jasiri meet Zira, oblivious of how fast she can turn from civil to a deranged killer.
- Continuity Nod:
- Kovu recalls his meeting with Kiara in the opening act of Simba's Pride.
- Zira recalls how Scar once possessed the power to use the Roar.
- Zira's song recalls several beats from "My Lullaby", such as smacking into a swarm of insects and sending them flying.
- Zira banishes Jasiri from the watering hole in a similar way to how Scar banished Simba, even saying "Leave, and never return."
- Series Continuity Error:
- Zira is notably shown missing the long stripe on her forehead that she had in Simba's Pride. Ford Riley later admitted it was an animation oversight.
- At the end of the episode, Kion uses the Roar to throw Zira and her pride out of Jasiri's water hole and to the termite-infested area where Zira sang "My Lullaby" in Simba's Pride - something which has already happened given that Kovu mentions having met Kiara. However, Nuka doesn't seem to recognize the place and Zira refers to it as their "new home", when if fact it's actually their old home.
- Counterpoint Duet: The final verse of "Lions Over All" becomes this.
- Does Not Know His Own Strength: Kion learns a lot more about the Roar from Zira, and is surprised at what he could accomplish.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Zira taking Kion to speak with alone and the tone she uses to get him to concede to her brings to mind of a situation involving a child predator.
- Dramatic Irony:
- Kion is flabbergasted when Kovu reveals that he knows Kiara, but since the sequel has been out for a while, this is already common knowledge to the audience.
- Zira tells Kion that if he roars at a cloud, he can make rain. Later on, in the season 3 opener, Kion uses this to finish Scar, Zira's devoted idol, off for good.
- Exact Words: Zira fools Kion into believing he will lose the Roar if he uses it on other lions because that's more or less how Scar lost the Roar, by using it on his old Guard. Rafiki stated in the beginning that Scar lost the power of the Roar because he used it for evil, not for using it on other lions. Even Kion for most of the episode forgot this.
- Fantastic Racism: The Lions of the Outlands despise hyenas. Zira also believes lions are superior to other animals.
- Faux Affably Evil: Zira acts friendly and claims to wish to make peace with Kion, but as anyone who's seen the second film knows, she's perhaps the cruelest, most dangerous villain of the franchise.
- Foregone Conclusion: One can expect that no one in the Lion Guard is going to tell Simba about Zira or ask Kiara about Kovu because it's too early to find out about them.
- Hero Antagonist: Kovu never agreed to Zira's actions and very likely got dragged into this, actually tries to be friendly to Kion, and tries to stop Zira from attacking him, and when he realizes he can't win, he doesn't even argue.
- Hero vs. Villain Duet: "Lions Over All", sung between Kion and Zira as she revels in her plot to take over the Pride Lands while he detests.
- Internal Reveal: Kion now finds out that Kovu knows Kiara, which happened quite a while ago, but how and the exact nature of their relationship, Kion doesn't know.
- Irony: Nuka thinks Kion's a traitor to his species by siding with Jasiri the hyena, despite the fact that Scar (who is heavily implied to be his father) commanded legions of them during his reign of the Pridelands.
- Knight of Cerebus: Zira already has a reputation for being this for the franchise, but her presence in this relatively Lighter and Softer series is rather noteworthy. She's the first lion antagonist the heroes have faced, introducing Kion to the bitter blood feud between the prides of lions, and putting him in very real peril considering Zira's Ax-Crazy tendencies. It also forces Kion to further abandon his absolutist upbringing, as he soon learns that just because Zira is a fellow lion, it does not make her reasonable and willing to cooperate.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: After seeing Kion use the Roar of The Elders, it was down to Kovu and Kion, but Kovu decides Kion isn't worth the trouble and makes the smart decision to just show himself out.
- Loophole Abuse: Kion is tricked by Zira into not using the Roar against other lions because that's what Scar did which got it taken away. Bunga helps him realize that Scar really lost the Roar because he used it for evil, which gets him around this.
- No Sense of Personal Space: At one point in her villain song, Zira affectionately rubs Kion's head, much to his discomfort.
- Oh, Crap!: After seeing Kion use the Roar, Kovu is so freaked out that he decides to leave rather than take on Kion.
- Rafiki's reaction when Bunga casually mentions that Kion is going to meet some lions living in the Outlands.
- Reconcile the Bitter Foes: Kovu thinks Kion was sent by Simba to tell them they could return to the Pridelands. Though this isn't true by any means, he does try to stop Zira from attacking Kion by telling her this (which she ignores anyway).
- The Reveal: This episode delves more into the rather murky backstory of the Outsiders. Rafiki explains that Zira and Simba's original conflict began when Zira protested Simba's ascension since Scar had chosen Kovu as his heir before his death. The two came to blows when Simba made clear Scar was an illegitimate king, thus Zira and her family were exiled after a swift fight. However, given both Kovu and Vitani's age, it still is debatable. Zira could have been lying, since Word of God confirmed that Kovu is not biologically related to Zira.
- Thou Shalt Not Kill: Discussed in the episode with regards to the Roar. Zira retells how Scar lost the power of the Roar after using it to wipe out his old Guard and leads Kion to believe using it on lions will cause him to lose the power as well. However, by the end of the episode, Bunga helps Kion realize (or rather, remember) that Scar only lost the power because he used it for evil. He is in fact free to use it on the Outlanders and implicitly kill them if need be for the greater good.
- Villain Song: "Lions Over All" for Zira.
- Villain Takes an Interest: Zira has taken a shine on Kion to teach him more about the Roar of the Elders and its hidden secrets. Her attempt only falls apart because of her own ruthlessness and selfishness.
- Villainous Breakdown: Zira is shaken when Bunga reminds Kion that Scar lost the Roar because he used it for evil and not that he used it on lions as she stated, allowing Kion to use it against her and her pride.
- Vocal Dissonance: Jason Marsden and Lacey Chabert reprise their roles as Kovu and Vitani respectively from Simba's Pride. The nearly twenty-year gap between Simba's Pride and this episode means that their voices are unusually deep and mature for cubs. Marsden's voice is especially jarring since he was the voice of the older Kovu in Simba's Pride while Kovu here is still a cub.
- We Can Rule Together: Zira tells Kion that if they work together, they can rule over all other animals.
- Wham Episode: The exact history of the Outsiders' banishment from the Pride Lands is revealed, Kion gets Character Development as he realizes that his great-uncle was not the only evil lion out there, and learns that he has far more potential with the Roar than he has known.
