Name:
Matsumi

Age:
13 years old (same age as Sarabi would be)

Pride:
Originally from the Pridelands; now Queen of the Savuti Pride

Color:
Deep sandbar brown with tan muzzle, white chin, tan underbelly, silver toes and greying fur on her face indicating her age. Eyes are green and yellow with strong dark markings underneath each eye.
 

Breed:
African Lion

 

Mate:
Ntchwaidumela (aka "Battlescar")
 

Cubs:
Kovu, among others

Her first litter of cubs ended in tragedy. She was young, and 21 days after the cubs were born, she moved them to a new site under a bush. She didn't know the bush was occupied by an Egyptian cobra. The snake bit Matsumi in the leg. The poison took effect immediately, and Matsumi wandered off. She didn't realize the snake attacked her cubs as well. The cubs, only 3 weeks old, were already dead. Hyenas made off with their bodies. After 7 touch-and-go days, the poison worked its way throug her system and Matsumi miraculously survived. But when she returned to the den-site, her cubs were no where to be found. All that lingered was the rank stench of the hyenas.

A heartbroken Matsumi traveled back to the Pride and told Ntchwaidumela what had happened. He retaliated by brutally killing the hyena clan's matriarch.

 

Siblings:
Several, but most common ancestry is her cousin, Sarabi

 

Friends:
Sarafina, Nala and eventually becomes friends with Yin (Kopa's mate). Develops a close mother-daughter-type relationship with her daughter-in-law, Kiara

Personality:
Usually very nice, but can get mean and even harsher then Ntchwaidumela. Is the only one in the pride who doesn't obey his orders; is the only one in the world who can tell him what to do. She'll often yell at him and tell him to go easy on his soldiers (which consist of the hunters, young males and especially Kovu).
 

Likes:
Cubs, relaxing, sleeping, growing old, LOVES the prospect of retirement.

 

Dislikes:
When Battlescar over-does-it with the 'troops', hyenas, cobras, the fact that Battlescar refuses to age gracefully.



Voice:

Kathy Bates

(Rat Race, Voice of Bitsy the Cow--Charlotte's Web, The Waterboy)



Bio:
Matsumi was born and raised in the Pridelands alongside her cousin, Sarabi and best friend, Sarafina. During the Great Hyena War, word got out about a certain young lion named Ntchwaidumela who rescued Mufasa from a hoard of attacking hyenas by risking his own life. Young Sarabi was relieved beyond belief that Mufasa had survived. Matsumi, meanwhile, developed a huge crush on the macho lion who rescued the future-king of the Pridelands. Upon Mufasa's return home, he was greeted by a love-struck Sarabi and bombarded with questions about his rescuer by a star-struck Matsumi. Mufasa could see that Matsumi was crazy-in-love with the brave lion whom she never even met before. He promised her that, when he became King, he'd have his friend, now nicknamed "Battlescar", over to meet her. Needless to say, Matsumi was ecstatic.

A year or so went by and Mufasa was named King. He naturally chose Sarabi as his Queen. But at the same time over in Savuti, Ntchwaidumela was also named King of his pride. This made things rather difficult, for neither King could just up and leave his territory immediately after being crowned! It seemed poor Matsumi would never get a chance to meet her hero. Not to mention the fact that he must've already chosen a Queen by now.

But Mufasa wouldn't break a promise he made to dear Matsumi, so he asked if Rafiki would be so kind to escort her to Savuti. Rafiki agreed happily, and brought Matsumi all the way to the Savuti pride.

The very moment Battlescar and Matsumi lay eyes on each other, Rafiki knew he'd be traveling back to the Pridelands alone. And what luck, Battlescar hadn't chosen a Queen yet! Matsumi's dreams were realized; not only had she met the lion of her dreams, but she became his Queen on top of that. Rafiki returned to the Pridelands with the wonderful news, and Mufasa and Sarabi couldn't be happier for the 'newly weds'.

After raising several litters, and not deciding on a successor, Matsumi began to pressure Battlescar to retire. They had ruled for many years, and had even sadly outlived their friends in the Pridelands. After weeks and weeks on end of nagging, Battlescar finally agreed to chose an heir from the next litter. And that's when a strange rogue by the name of Zira appeared one day, begging to join the pride. Matsumi didn't like her, nor did she trust her, and she insisted over and over that this outsider should not be allowed to join the pride. But Battlescar had a soft-spot for rogue lionesses, and allowed Zira to join.

Matsumi's instincts were correct about the rogue. After she gave birth to her final litter, and Battlescar chose a dark-colored cub named Kovu to be the heir to the Savuti pride, Zira stole the cub the first chance she got. Battlescar got a never-ceasing tongue lashing from Matsumi for years afterwards, until it came to their attention that their son was in the Pridelands, prepared to accept Simba's offer to be future king of the late Mufasa's territory. Battlescar and Matsumi wasted no time in setting out to the Pridelands to retrieve their long-lost son (along with his chosen Queen) to take his rightful place as ruler of the Savuti pride.

Matsumi is thrilled to have Kovu back, for now Battlescar has no choice but to retire, as has been Matsumi's wish since before Kovu was even conceived.

Relation to TLK:

Cousin to Sarabi, birth mother to Kovu

Based on an actual lioness from the National Geographic Special "Eternal Enemies: Lions and Hyenas".