Nalion

Nalion
GENERAL
The Lion King
Character	Nala
Character	Kion
Canonical?	Canon
Status of Relationship	Mother and Son
IN FANDOM
Type (?)	Family
Also Known As	NaKion, Kionala

Kion – “So, what I need to know is...can you ever forgive me?”

Nala – “Forgive you? There's nothing to forgive. You were saving my life.”

Kion – “But the Roar created that earthquake, and you fell in!”

Nala – “And you helped me out.”

Kion – “I know, but...seeing you like that... *sighs* Ever since, I've been afraid to use the Roar.”

Nala – “Kion, the Roar is a part of who you are. You can't just stop using it.”

Kion – “But how do you know I won't use it in anger again and hurt someone?”

Nala – “Because I know you. I trust you.”

— The Lion Guard, "Never Roar Again"

Nalion is the family ship between Nala and Kion from the The Lion King fandom.

Canon

Nala is Kion's mother, and the two share a loving relationship. Their earliest seen interaction was in The Lion Guard: The Rise of Scar, in which a very young Kion is seen learning to walk as Nala looks on fondly. In The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, Nala observes the effects of Kion's first use of the Roar of the Elders. She then agrees with Rafiki that it's time Kion was told of his role as leader of the Lion Guard, despite the fact that Simba felt Kion needed more time to prepare for the responsibility. Nala later watches as Kion's Lion Guard goes into action for the first time, and praises Kion's success as he and his friends succeed in driving off hostile hyenas.

In "The Rise of Makuu", Kion voices doubts to Nala about the crocodile tradition of the mashindano, in which a leader is determined by ritual combat. Nala pointed out that Simba had to obtain his throne by fighting his uncle Scar. When said combat ended in the defeat of the candidate whom Kion preferred, Nala was forced to confirm the results to her son. In "Fuli's New Family", Nala-at Kion's prompting-invites his cheetah friend Fuli to join them, Kiara, and Kiara's friends on a practice hunt.

In "Bunga and the King", Nala shepherds Kion and Kiara to a concert being put on by the Pride Lands' elephants. When Kion's friend Ono informs him of several gazelles in trouble, Nala understands his need to attend to the matter and urges him to go. She would later comment to Kion that his best friend, Bunga, had a knack for taxing other animals' patience. Nala also expressed confidence in Kion's ability to get both Simba and Bunga out of a precarious situation that they found themselves in. In "The Imaginary Okapi", Kion asks his parents to approve newcomer Okapi's taking up residence in the Pride Lands, and Nala extends welcome to her son's new friend.

In "Never Roar Again", Kion comes across Nala being menaced by a group of hyenas. His fear for his mother soon kindles rage against her attackers, and he unleashes the Roar of the Elders in a fit of anger. The hyenas are sent flying, but Kion's unrestrained power rips open the earth beneath Nala. Fortunately, she was able to catch herself a short distance below the lip of this new chasm, and Kion was able to help her out. Though Nala was grateful to her son for both rescues, nuzzling him fondly, Kion was filled with guilt over the harm he had nearly caused his own mother.

Kion's feelings eventually prompted him to forego use of the Roar, but his friends quickly pointed out the impracticality of such a course. Kion then turned to the spirit of his grandfather, Mufasa, who suggested that Kion should talk to Nala about how he felt. Taking this advice, Kion spoke to Nala and apologized, though Nala was quick to assure him that she didn't blame him for anything that had happened. She agreed with the sentiment that he couldn't stop using the Roar and also expressed trust in his ability to use it well in the future.

The two would soon go to confront Makuu and his group of crocodiles, who had taken advantage of Kion's reluctance to use the Roar to seize territory. Determined to prevent Kion from interfering, the crocodiles took Nala as a hostage. Kion nearly Roared in anger once again but gained control of himself, with Nala encouraging him to have faith in his ability to remain calm. Kion then managed to Roar with unprecedented precision, dispatching Nala's captors while leaving her unharmed. Afterwards, Kion explained that his newfound control had come from having belief in himself, with Nala affirming her own confidence in her son.

In "The Trail to Udugu", Nala takes both Kion and Kiara on an outing to "Udugu", which is a long-standing royal tradition in the Pride Lands. Kion fears that the task will distract from his duties as leader of the Lion Guard, but Nala notes that Simba will be filling in for him while they are away. Kion would later question his mother about reaching Udugu, and she answered somewhat cryptically. When her cubs nearly fell off a cliff as a result of racing to reach their destination first, Nala would step in to help them both to safety.

The two cubs then entered a thorn patch on Nala's instructions, but once again fell to bickering how best to proceed. Eventually they realized that Nala had disappeared, and Kion and Kiara both became concerned. However, Nala had merely hidden herself, which turned out to be an element of the tradition. Kion and Kiara, failing to find their mother and unaware of how to reach Udugu themselves, began to cooperate. Eventually, they managed to reach Nala, whom Kion questioned regarding her departure. Nala then explained to him, and to Kiara, that Udugu was not the name of a place, but of the bond that should exist between siblings. Thus, by putting aside their differences to find Nala, Kion and Kiara had succeeded in reaching Udugu.

In "Ono's Idol", Kion questions his parents regarding the legendary eagle Hadithi, and Nala explains that Hadithi is indeed revered by animals across the Pride Lands. In "Timon and Pumbaa's Christmas", Kion asks his family to join in helping their meerkat and warthog friend celebrating the holiday, and Nala eagerly agrees with the suggestion. She also agrees to enlist Kiara's friends Tiifu and Zuri, though she is baffled when Kion expresses Christmas wishes to her, Simba, and Kiara. Nala, Kion, and the other lions then take part in the Christmas performance that Bunga, Timon and Pumbaa's adoptive nephew, has orchestrated for his uncles.

In The Lion Guard: The Rise of Scar, Nala asks Kion about his first encounter with Makini, their advisor Rafiki's new apprentice, and Kion shares his impression of her. Janja, recalling how attacking Nala had provoked Kion into using the Roar, decided to employ a similar tactic by kidnapping Kiara. Janja would then warn Kion that his hyenas might threaten Simba or Nala on future occasions to get at Kion, which had the desired effect of making Kion Roar in anger. This would allow Janja and his ally Ushari to complete a ritual that enabled them to summon the spirit of Scar.

In "The Ukumbusho Tradition", Nala attends the titular festivity with her family to watch Kion and his Guard perform in a dramatic reenactment. In "The Scorpion's Sting", Nala would be the one to inform Kion of Simba's condition after his father was stung by a scorpion. In "The Underground Adventure", Nala would ask Kion to accompany Kiara and her friends to the mudpots on the edge of the Pride Lands, as she feared the younger lionesses might not be safe on their own.

Rafiki – “Never one for tradition, is he?”

Nala – “That's my boy.”

— The Lion Guard, "Battle for the Pride Lands"

In "Battle for the Pride Lands", Kion dispatched Ono and their friend Anga to help get Nala, Simba, and Kiara off of a fire-surrounded Pride Rock. Kion and his friends were later trapped by fire as well, and Scar's spirit would appear to gloat over their apparent demise, much to Nala's horror. She was thus overjoyed when Kion and the Guard appeared safe. Later, when Kion returned from the final battle with Scar's army with an envenomed scar from Ushari the cobra, Nala was immediately concerned for him.

Nala also was greatly distressed when Rafiki warned that the venom could have serious consequences if left untreated, which they did not have the means to do in the Pride Lands. After learning that Kion could be cured at the Tree of Life, however, Nala not only urged her son to go but also asked the rest of the Lion Guard to accompany him. Nala was also impressed when Kion, having appointed Anga as the Guard's Keenest of Sight to replace an injured Ono, promptly conferred the all-new role of the Guard's Smartest upon Ono so that he could remain part of the Lion Guard. Nala saw Kion and his friends as they were departing, hoping that they might return prior to Kiara's first hunt.

Nala would later greet Kion happily upon his return from the Tree of Life, though she was briefly concerned to see that he retained his scar. Kion explained that, though he remained marked by his experience, the venom had been dealt with. After Kion was caught up on all that had transpired in his absence, Nala noted that she had missed him and all of his friends. The royal family, including Kiara's new mate Kovu, later spoke together with the spirit of Mufasa.

After this, Kion and Kiara discussed Queen Rani, whom he had met at the Tree of Life, and Kiara expressed confidence that Nala, as well as Simba, would approve if Kion decided to return to her. Nala would then watch as her son and his friends competed in the Battle of the Lion Guards against the Lion Guard formed by Kovu's sister Vitani. Vitani's Guard would triumph, and Kion would decide to lead his former Guard back to the Tree of Life to take up permanent residence. As Kiara had predicted, Nala approved of her son's choice, and with her family attended Kion's coronation and wedding to Rani.

Fanon

Reception to The Lion Guard, and the character of Kion, is somewhat mixed among The Lion King fans, and thus his relationship with Nala isn't universally popular. However, The Lion Guard helps matters by giving the pair quite a bit of interaction over the course of the series. Indeed, Nala's relationship with Kion in The Lion Guard is rather more prominent than her interactions with her daughter, Kiara, in The Lion King II.

On AO3, this ship has minimal support with only 4 tagged works, 3 of which are rated Mature or Explicit.

Fandom

FAN FICTION

Kion & Nala tag on AO3

Trivia

• In Mufasa: The Lion King, the 2019 continuity’s version of Nala gives birth to a son. The cub goes unnamed in the film, but the fact that the 2019 Kiara is his older sister makes it plausible that this is a version of Kion.