Kimba The White Lion

Kimba was a groundbreaking Anime from the manga master, Osamu Tezuka, and based on his manga of the same title which began publication in 1950.

It was the first color TV animation series created in Japan.

The entire series of manga was first published in serialized form in Manga Shonen magazine.

In the face of the encroachment of mankind, a white lion, Caesar, seeks to give all wild animals a safe haven, free from fear.

And, to a very large degree, he is successful.

His mistake is to liberate the cattle from nearby villages.

A professional hunter, Viper Snakely, known as Ham Egg in the original Japanese, is called in to stop these raids.

He avoids directly attacking Caesar — instead, Snakely records the sounds of Caesar and uses that as bait to trap his mate, Snowene, who then becomes bait in a trap for Caesar.

Caesar is killed, and the pregnant Snowene is shipped overseas, destined for a zoo.

Kimba is born on the ship. Snowene teaches him his father's ideals.

As a huge storm approaches, she urges Kimba out to leave through the bars of her cage.

The storm wrecks the ship, leaving Kimba floundering in the ocean.

The fish help him to survive and learn to swim.

As he begins to despair, the stars in the sky form his mother, and she encourages him with loving guidance.

Guided by butterflies, Kimba makes it back to land.

Kimba lands far from his ancestral home and is found and cared for by some people.

Kimba learns the advantages of human culture, and he makes up his mind that when he returns to his wild home he will bring civilized culture to the jungle and stand for peace like his father.

The show follows Kimba's life after he returns to the wild (still a young cub) and shows his learning and growing during the next year.

One thing Kimba soon learns is that true peace will require communication and mutual understanding between the animals and humans.

Character Description...

Note: The original Japanese names are given first, with the English names given in Parentheses. If no English name was given to replace the character's original name, then no parentheses are given. If there are parentheses or names with question marks, then it is unknown what the Japanese, or English, name is at this time.

• Panja (Caesar): Leo's father and Emperor of the Jungle. He is killed by Ham Egg while trying to rescue his wife and Queen.
• Eraiza/Eliza (Snowene): Leo's mother who is used as bait by Ham Egg and shipped overseas. While on the ship, she gives birth to Leo and urges him to escape, before the ship is overturned during a storm with her on it.
• Leo (Kimba): The main character of the story whose life is detailed from birth to death. He believes that it is possible for there to be peace between animals and humans alike if given a chance to understand each other.
• Leona (Reona): Leo's sister. She was his aunt in the 1989 remake.
• Lyre (Lea/Kitty/Raya): A lioness who would later be Leo's mate and bear him two lion cubs. She tends to notice things that Kimba sometimes overlooks. She is always there for Kimba when he needs advice, someone to calm him down when his temper gets the better of him, a shoulder to cry on, or someone to fight at his side.
• Rune/Lune (???): Leo's son who would go on adventures and seek an understanding of humans just like his father.
• Rukio/Lukio (???): Leo's daughter who is more cautious than her adventurous brother.
• Tommy (Bucky/T.K.): An antelope that tends to always get into some kind of mischief, and is almost always seen wearing a straw hat (as Leo had used to appoint him Secretary of the Jungle Economy)
• Coco (Pauley Cracker): A parrot who spent some time living with humans and believes that he should be put in charge of mentoring Leo and Lune.
• Mandy/Burazza (Dan'l Baboon): A wise, aged mandril who acts as Leo and Rune's mentor. In the original Japanese, he has been known as Mandy in the original anime series, but his name was changed to "Burazza" for the 1997 feature film according to Osamu Tezuka's website.
• Pagoola (Kelly Phunt): A stubborn elephant who has absolutely no trust for humans or human culture whatsoever.
• Bizu (???): Pagoola's son who often bosses around Leo's son Lune.
• Bubu (Claw/Jamar): A one-eyed lion who wants nothing more than to see Leo and his family dead so that he may take the role of Jungle Emperor for himself.
• Totto (Cassius/Shaka): A black panther working with Bubu to see Leo and the white lions dethroned. He often acts as Bubu's advisor on what moves they should make next.
• Dick (Tom): A tall lanky hyena working with Bubu and Totto who assists them in their fiendish plans. He helps provide the comic relief aspect of the villainous animals. He is almost always seen with Bo.
• Bo (Tab): A short, squat hyena working with Bubu and Totto who assists them in their fiendish plans. He helps provide the comic relief aspect of the villainous animals. He is almost always seen with Dick.
• The Black Four: A group of four panther assassins that seem to have supernatural powers (able to fade and manipulate their bodies in the darkness). They are summoned by Cassius during one episode to do away with Kimba. Much of their scenes was cut from the American dub, most notably their trademark song.
• Kenichi Shikishima as "Kenichi" ("Roger Ranger"): Shunsaku Ban's nephew who takes in Leo after he is washed ashore. After about a year living with Leo in human civilization, he decides to go to the jungle with Leo and live among him and the other animals. He plays a pivotal role in teaching the animals how to speak to humans.
• Mary/Tonga: A young girl who works with Kenichi as he lives with the animals. However, on occasion she can have outbursts of a split-personality where she becomes Tonga, a woman who has no compassion for animals.
• Shunsaku Ban/Higeoyaji as himself (Mr. Pompous): Kenichi's uncle who helps take care of Leo at the Arabian peninsula. He goes on to help return Leo to the jungle, and is one of the first to discover Mt. Moon. However, he often tries to get his nephew, Kenichi, to return to human civilization.
• Duke Red as "Dr. Plus": A chief representative of the Science and Technology Agency who is willing to pay Ham Egg for leading them to the source of the Moon Stones. He has also gathered plenty of information on Ham Egg's activities and seems to be willing to blackmail him if necessary.
• Notaarin as "Dr. Minus": A member of the Science and Technology Agency that hopes to use the Moon Stone to provide a clean and potent energy source for the planet. His assistant is Mr. Lemonade.
• Tick/Ramune as "Mr. Lemonade": In place of Kenichi and Mary for the 1997 movie, Mr. Lemonade is an associate of the Science and Technology Agency seeking the Moon Stone. He, like Shunsaku Ban, is apalled at Ham Egg's actions.
• Ham Egg as himself (Viper Snakely): A nasty poacher who will do anything for money, regardless of the consequences. He is responsible for most of the death and tragedy that befalls Leo's jungle. He is interested in the Moon Stone with the hopes of making a fortune from it.
• Kutter as himself (Tubby): A sidekick to Ham Egg, but who has reservations about what the two of them are doing.
• Rommel as himself (???):