Nalani

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Nalani
GENERAL
The Lion King
Character	Nala
Character	Rani
Canonical?	Canon
Status of Relationship	Mother and daughter-in-law
IN FANDOM
Type (?)	Friend

Nalani is the friend ship between Nala and Rani from The Lion King fandom.

Canon

Rani was introduced in The Lion Guard season three, which sees her become romantically involved with and eventually married to Nala's son Kion. Nala travels with her family, various friends and allies to attend the wedding and Kion's coronation at the Tree of Life, where Rani rules as queen. Prior to this event, Kion had mentioned Rani to his sister Kiara, who expressed the belief that Nala and Simba would be understanding if Kion chose to return to the Tree of Life to be with Rani. Kiara's prediction of Nala's reaction was apparently accurate, as Nala demonstrates nothing but happiness and pleasure during the ceremony.

Nala and Rani do not actually interact in "Return to the Pride Lands", the one The Lion Guard episode in which they both appear. However, they are known to share a number of commonalities that would presumably allow them to bond as in-laws. Each is the queen of their respective land, though Nala is royal consort of the Pride Lands while Rani is the reigning queen of the Tree of Life. Both are strong-willed, at times having clashed with their respective partners over differences in opinion. Each of them has also demonstrated the capacity for forgiveness and reconciliation with those they have argued with.

Like Nala, Rani displays a certain mischievousness; this is particularly evident in the relationships each lioness has with their respective mate. Both have also demonstrated great compassion, including in exchanges with Kion when he was feeling guilty or uncertain. Their relationships with Kion are, of course, the largest common ground in any relationship between the two. Loving Kion and knowing that Kion loves each of them-one as his mother, the other as his mate-serves as a likely connection point.

Nala and Rani have also each been seen to encourage their respective partners-or future partner at the time, in Rani's case-in moments of doubt or uncertainty. Nala encouraged Simba to be open with their then future son-in-law, Kovu, while Rani gave Kion the courage to speak to the spirit of his grandfather Mufasa after a long silence between them. Nala also helped Simba see that he had the potential, and duty, to be a king. Rani also recognized Kion's leadership qualities in her turn, though she was initially of the opinion that he had yet to fully embrace them. Both lionesses would be pleased to see the lions they cared about step up to their respective challenges, and they would thus presumably be able to relate with each other over these somewhat similar histories.

Fanon

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Nalani is not a relationship that has received a great deal of attention from The Lion King fandom. The Lion Guard is not a universally popular addition to the franchise, and Rani is not universally popular among those fans who do enjoy it. Fan works also have the tendency to focus on interactions between characters of the same generation or their respective parents, rather than exploring those between in-laws. However, a handful of works have touched on possible moments between Nala and Rani.

There are 2 works tagged for the pairing on AO3, 1 of which is rated Explicit.

Fandom

FAN FICTION

Nala & Rani tag on AO3

YOUTUBE

Nala talks with Rani