Kovara

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Kovara is the het ship between Kovu and Kiara from The Lion King fandom.

Canon

Kiara and Kovu first meet when the former wanders into the Outlands and literally bumps into the latter. The two are initially distrustful of each other but find themselves wandering into a group of crocodiles. They end up needing to work together, and save each other, in order to get to safety. On safe ground, the two find the experience was quite exciting and end up becoming friends.

Their good times, however get interrupted by the arrival of Kiara's father Simba and Kovu's mother Zira. The two are separated at that point, with Zira scolding Kovu for associating with the enemy but realizing that bond could be used to end Simba. Hearing what happened, Rafiki - with some guidance from Mufasa's spirit - comes to believe that Kiara and Kovu could be the key to reuniting the Outlanders and Pride Rock. As time went by, Kovu grew to want to see Kiara again, even getting excited by the prospect of being able to see her again upon meeting her younger brother Kion despite that not coming to pass.

Years later, while she's on her first solo hunt, Kiara gets caught in a wildfire set by Kovu's siblings Nuka and Vitani. As part of his mother's plan, Kovu rescues Kiara from the fire, with the lioness needing to be reminded of who he was. However, upon recognizing him, Kiara is visibly pleased. Simba arrives not long after and Kovu asks him to join his pride, but the king refuses as Kovu's nature as Scar's heir makes him unable to be trusted.

Not even when Rafiki reveals that Kovu had saved Kiara is Simba willing to change his mind. However, Simba is reminded by Nala and Zazu that - by Pride Lands law - he's indebted to Kovu for saving his daughter, forcing him to accept Kovu's request but making him sleep away from the rest of the pride. Back at Pride Rock, Kiara thanks Kovu for saving her only for the Outlander to note her hunting skills aren't great. Provoked by that, Kiara wants Kovu to teach her how to hunt - which he agrees to do.

The following day, Kiara approaches Kovu about teaching her to hunt, accidentally stopping him from attacking her father in the process. For the next while, Kovu gives Kiara lessons and practice to improve her hunting. When the two run into Timon and Pumbaa, Kiara - after seeing he's never had fun before - also convinces him to loosen up as the four of them play. This play causes them to run afoul of a herd of rhinos the four manage to hide from, during which Kiara and Kovu accidentally kiss each other.

By nightfall, they start growing close to each other which is strengthened when Rafiki appears and makes them realize they love each other. This causes Kovu to start doubting his mother's plan and ultimately decides to abandon it because he loves Kiara too much to go through with it. Kovu plans to tell Kiara the following morning, but is waylaid by Simba wanting to make amends for his initial distrust. However, this causes Simba to be vulnerable to an ambush from Zira and some of her pride - which they implicate Kovu in helping to set up.

Kiara manages to find her injured father, who tells her that Kovu led him into an ambush. Kiara is dumbfounded by this news and, when Kovu returns to Pride Rock, she wants to talk with him about it. However, with his trust broken, Simba rejects his daughter's request and exiles Kovu - leaving Kiara devastated. She tries to get her father to reconsider but he goes further and keeps her from going out on her own to keep her and Kovu from being together. The resulting argument ends with Kiara defying Simba and sneaking away to find Kovu.

Kiara's search goes into the night with no results until, eventually, Kovu manages to find her. Happily reunited, Kovu starts considering they abandon their families completely to start their own pride. However, Kovu's words remind Kiara of what her father said about unity, which convinces her that they're the key to reuniting their prides. Despite Kovu's reluctance on the idea, Kiara manages to convince him by noting that they'll be forever separated if their prides are likewise apart. With both resolved, the two return to the Pride Lands - only to find it the battleground of a fight between Simba's and Zira's prides.

Amongst the fighting, the two locate their parents about to fight each other and put themselves between them. Shocked by their appearance, Simba and Zira try to force their children away each other and their fight. However, the two won't budge as Kovu tells his mother that he won't let her hurt anyone - especially not Kiara - as Kiara makes her father see that both sides are no different. These words convince Simba to stand down and Vitani and the rest of the Outlanders to go to his side.

Zira, however, refuses to give in and Kovu watches as Kiara defends Simba when the matriarch tries to attack him - which ends with Zira plummeting into the river despite Kiara's best efforts. Although sad his mother died, Kovu is grateful that Kiara made it. Seeing how he cares about his daughter, Simba apologizes to Kovu for exiling him and allows him and the rest of the Outlanders back into the Pride Lands. Back at Pride Rock, this unification is marked by the prides witnessing Kovu and Kiara officially recognized as mates by Rafiki.

Kovu and Kiara would later greet Kion and his Lion Guard upon their return to the Pride Lands, breaking up a fight between them and Vitani’s new Lion Guard. The two would bring Kion and his friends up to date on all that had transpired in their absence. Simba would also note that Kovu and Kiara would one day rule as king and queen, and the two exchanged a fond look at this remark. Kovu would also join the rest of the royal family, standing or sitting alongside Kiara, in communicating with Mufasa, witnessing the contests between Kion and Vitani’s Guards, and attending Kion’s wedding and coronation at the Tree of Life.

Songs

Upendi | Robert Guillaume, Liz Callaway, and Gene Miller

A song in The Lion King II where Rafiki teaches Kovu and Kiara about the joys of love.

Love Will Find a Way | Liz Callaway and Gene Miller

The last major song in The Lion King II where Kovu and Kiara affirm that, no matter how much their families are unwilling to see beyond their hatreds, they will find a way to be together. This song serves as Kovu's and Kiara's counterpart to Simba's and Nala's Can You Feel the Love Tonight.

Fanon

Kovara is a very popular ship in the Lion King fandom. The progression of their relationship in the film from cautiousness to devotion enough to temporarily consider leaving their prides is a significant popularity draw. The fact that Kovu still thought about Kiara in his appearance during The Lion Guard, and the two still being happy with each other in the finale, is also appreciated by the ship's fans. With the second film taking cues from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (just as the first film did for Hamlet), many made the connection of Kovu and Kiara being the counterparts of the titular couple - especially with them having a MUCH happier ending. By that same logic, this ship also gets compared to the likes of Jaladdin, Eriel, and Smithontas in Disney pairings involving forbidden love.

On AO3, this ship has decent support with 100 tagged entries. This makes it the second-most written ship for The Lion King after Simbala. It's also both Kovu's and Kiara's most written ships.

Fandom

FAN FICTION

Kiara/Kovu tag on AO3

Kiara & Kovu tag on AO3

FAN ART

Kovu x Kiara tag on DeviantArt

TUMBLR

Kovu x Kiara tag on Tumblr

Kiara x Kovu tag on Tumblr

Gallery

"Kovu, Kiara together"?