Nirak

Nirak
GENERAL
The Lion King
Character	Nirmala
Character	Surak
Canonical?	Fanon
Status of Relationship	Teammates
IN FANDOM
Type (?)	Het

1

Nirak is the het ship between Nirmala and Surak from The Lion King fandom.

Canon

Nirmala and Surak are both members of the Night Pride, lions duty bound to defend the Tree of Life. Surak is part of the royal family of the Tree of Life, whereas Nirmala is an outsider who took up residence there. Prior to the arrival of Kion’s Lion Guard, Nirmala was the only member of the Night Pride not to be part of the royal family. She and Surak appear to be similar in age, both older than their teammates Rani and Baliyo, who are Surak’s niece and nephew.

Together with their younger teammates, Nirmala and Surak were alerted to a rockslide caused accidentally by the arriving Lion Guard in “The Tree of Life”. Surak looks at Nirmala as she offers her opinion to Rani. During an ensuing confrontation between the two groups, Surak warned Nirmala of an attack by Anga, and she thanked him for his alert. Both are later stunned to witness Kion using the power of the Roar of the Elders, with Nirmala turning to Surak for verification that she isn’t hallucinating.

Rani later asks the two to look after a dazed Baliyo. The younger lion is stunned when they suggest welcoming Kion and the others at Queen Janna’s direction, but both encourage him to act calmly. In “The River of Patience”, Surak agrees with Nirmala’s assessment that the invaders Makucha, Chuluun, and Ora are a poor team. In “Long Live the Queen”, Nirmala sits beside Surak as they mourn Queen Janna’s passing. Surak later comes up beside her during Rani’s coronation.

In “Triumph of the Roar”, the two are shown to sleep near each other when Ullu arrives to awaken them and Baliyo. In “Return to the Pride Lands”, the two sit side by side during Kion’s wedding to Rani and coronation as king.

Moments

• When in action or in moments of peace, Nirmala and Surak often take positions next to or near each other.

Fanon

This section is in need of major improvement. Please help improve this article by editing it.

Nirak enjoys some popularity as a ship, though it lacks the popularity of other The Lion King ships. This may stem from the fact that both Surak and Nirmala are supporting characters introduced fairly late in The Lion Guard.

The two appear to be fairly compatible, acting almost as surrogate parents to Rani and Baliyo, whose parents are both deceased. Both Nirmala and Surak are trusted by both Rani and Janna, and seem to have similar level-headed personalities. Some fans have speculated that they are already mates, despite the lack of dialogue to confirm this. Others see them likely becoming mates in the future, perhaps feeling freer to pursue their own relationship after Rani’s marriage and the permanent relocation of Makini and the former members of Kion’s Lion Guard to the Tree of Life. Fan art often depicts the two romantically involved and even starting their own family.

The pairing is tagged in 1 work on AO3.

Fandom

FAN FICTION

Nirmala/Surak tag on AO3