| “ | You win today, Kion. Next time won't be so easy. | „ |
| ~ Janja warning Kion that their fight is just beginning. |
| “ | Janja: Yeah. I think we're on the right side now. Jasiri: You sure are. Janja: You know, I think I could get used to that laugh. |
„ |
| ~ Janja's redemption after he turned against Scar. |
Janja is the main antagonist of the 2015 Disney Junior animated series The Lion Guard, a sequel to Disney's 1994 animated film The Lion King.
He is the head of a teenage clan of hyenas in the Outlands, who are descendants of the hyena clan who served Scar (and, in Janja's case, he's the descendant of Shenzi, Banzai and Ed). Janja is also the first arch-nemesis of Kion, the protagonist of the show, and the rival leader of Jasiri. After many failures, Janja summons Scar's ghost in hopes of defeating the Guard. Led by the evil lion, Janja and his hyenas form an army with the Outlands' most despicable inhabitants to take control of Pride Lands, but over time, he doubts his choices and eventually turns on Scar and makes peace with Kion.
He was voiced by Andrew Kishino, who also played Ora in the same series, and also Shang Tsung and Sektor in Mortal Kombat 9, Genra in Dead or Alive: Dimensions, VECTOR in Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, Saw Gerrera in Star Wars: The Clone Wars/Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Fong in the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, Mitsuru Shinehara in Regular Show, Joe in Batman: The Killing Joke, Shredder in Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mantis in Young Justice and Daniel Kon in Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous.
Personality[]
| “ | When you live in the Outlands, it's better to make your own rules. Ask anyone outside the Pride Lands. The Circle of Life is for fools. | „ |
| ~ Janja during the song Tonight We Strike. |
Like his hyena ancestors before him, Janja is a stingy, cocky, funny, testy and fierce individual with no respect for the great Circle of Life. His unabated hunger drives him to extreme measures, as he is ready to stand against Simba and the Lion Guard, and his relentless nature shines through in even everyday interactions.
In addition to being the leader, Janja is one of the brainiest hyenas of his clan, with only Nne and Tano being brainier. He often refers to his clan members, especially his right-hand minions Cheezi and Chungu, as "fur brains" whenever they make mistakes or do or say something silly. He was also brainy enough to revive Scar with some help.
Janja's brilliance is undeniable. He is an exploitative and devious planner who is always hatching new plots to bring down the Lion Guard or take over the Pride Lands. Janja is notably the only hyena in his clan who uses cunning to obtain what he wants.
True to his name, he is very sly and treacherous, but also highly charismatic, utilizing his allies in his nefarious schemes. Under Janja's guidance, the hyenas prove a great threat, especially since they are often swayed to his side through his natural charisma and cunning. That said, his cunning has limits as shown when Nne and Tano foiled him with little effort.
Janja will ensure that the clan's goals always align with his own. Janja is also proved to be ambitious: Hyenas are a matriarchy, meaning they are led by females and males are of lesser statuses (in real life hyenas). By going against this and desiring to be a leader of his own clan despite being a male, unusual for his kind.
Despite his burning ambitions and sharp intellect, Janja is also somewhat paranoid and fearful, usually only choosing to fight when the odds are in his favor, and he is known to promptly turn tail and run when faced with a fair fight. This along with his impulsive nature makes him struggle against those who match his power.
Despite his actions and personality, however, Janja also appears to have empathy as shown in Season 2 in The Hyena Resistance. When Janja was accidentally knocked into a lava pit by one of the crocodiles and hanging for dear life from certain death, after the army was blown away, Jasiri came to his rescue, leaving the speechless hyena hesitant. Janja was shown to be less pugnacious once being saved and despite his refusal, Jasiri remains hopeful and makes herself sure that he'll come around soon and skinks doubtful of his faithfulness.
Jasiri's hopes finally turned out to be true when Janja began to doubt his life in the service of Scar and when he felt betrayed by the wicked lion he sided with Kion and Jasiri to defeat him and even decided to accept the Circle of Life he always disliked. Later he displays remorse as shown when he and Jasiri wish Kion and the Guard farewell as he had a sad look on his face. Although he is still somewhat cowardly and passive-aggressive at times, he will do what he can to help his new friends and has proven himself as trustworthy as Jasiri.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Alpha: Janja is revealed to have leadership prowess that rivals Kion.
- Combat: As head of the clan, Janja is the best fighter of the hyenas. These fighting techniques are quite wobbly and rudimentary compared to the more fierce style of Kion, although he still manages to compete with the young lion.
- Hyena's physiology: As a hyena, Janja possesses sharp claws and fangs.
- Strength: Janja is also sturdy. He was able to hold down his enemies that are his size such as Kion, Kiara, and Jasiri. He is also powerful enough to put a crocodile on the ground and take Cheezi and Chungu on his back and throw them away.
- High-level Intellect: Janja is highly brainy and sly. Surrounded on all sides by other more witless hyenas, he stands out as the one clever member of his clan, as he knew the story of the Lion Guard and was able to come up with many schemes to take over the Pride Lands; such as attacking at night before the Lion Guard was official, getting Kiara as prisoner to deal with Simba, using herd of animals to make the Lion Guard unable to see and trapping the Lion Guard by using boulders to block the path when Ono was not able to see. He also knew that vultures have some information when having meetings that he can use against the Lion Guard proven by Ono unable to see. He was also able to fool the Lion Guard into believing that he and his clan were giving up and immediately returned to Pride Lands. When the Guard and his clan were trapped under Pride Rock, Janja quickly knew he could trust Jasiri to help him, despite being an enemy at times.
- Endurance and Stamina: His stamina is high as he is able to hunt down with his pack to take out much prey as he could, able to endure the attack of Beshte's brute strength and sometimes run away from Kion's roar. Furthermore, even Kion's most powerful roar sometimes can do little more than make him dazed. He was also able to travel the world with Jasiri to find the Lion Guard at the Tree of Life in a fairly quick time.
Quotes[]
The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar[]
| “ | What do you take me for, a vegetarian? | „ |
| ~ Janja to Cheezi and Chungu when they suggest the hyenas eat a baobab fruit. |
| “ | Stuff it, fur-brains. | „ |
| ~ Janja |
| “ | Mzingo, what are you doing this far into the Outlands? Looking for leftovers? | „ |
| ~ Janja to Mzingo. |
| “ | Simba's cub Kion managed to cancel our lunch plans. | „ |
| ~ Janja |
| “ | Don't you know the stories, The Lion Guard was legendary. The most powerful team of lions in the Pride Lands. | „ |
| ~ Janja about The Lion Guard. |
| “ | Tonight, we Outlanders will feast. Hyenas and vultures alike. Tonight we strike. | „ |
| ~ Janja |
| “ | Outlanders, all rise and follow me. The Pridelands will never know what bit 'em. | „ |
| ~ Janja to his clan. |
| “ | Well, if it isn't Kion the lion cub? You and your friends better leave now, before you get hurt. | „ |
| ~ Janja threatens Kion and his friends. |
The Lion Guard[]
| “ | Well if it isn't Jasiri. Thought I told you to stay off our turf. | „ |
| ~ Janja to Jasiri. |
| “ | Dunno why you're in the Outlands helpin a hyena Kion, but it's the last thing you're gonna do. | „ |
| ~ Janja mocking Kion helping Jasiri. |
| “ | Be a shame if their family squabbles led to chaos in the Pride Lands. | „ |
| ~ Janja taunting the problems of Kion and Kiara. |
| “ | Janja: Queen Kiara. Welcome. I'm so happy you considered my proposal. And you came alone. Very smart. We can work out our deal, leader to leader. Just the two of us. More or less. Kiara: I think I just re-considered your proposal. Janja: Going so soon? But you're to be our guest. Soon as Simba hears I have his daughter, he'll have no choice but to turn over the Pride Lands to me. Or else! |
„ |
| ~ Janja traps Kiara. |
| “ | Too bad you're out here all on your own. | „ |
| ~ Janja to Kiara. |
| “ | Gotcha now, lion cub! | „ |
| ~ Janja about of attacking Kion from behind. |
| “ | I've had enough! Come on, fellows. Let's go! | „ |
| ~ Janja after having been knocked down by a wildebeest. |
| “ | Because, fur brain, Ono is the Guard's eyes in the sky. Any time I got a brilliant plan, Ono spots it and the Guard ruins it. But, if he can't see anymore... I got an idea. Come on! And before you ask, yes, it involves food. | „ |
| ~ Janja takes advantage of Ono's injured state. |
| “ | Oh, you jackals are so annoying! | „ |
| ~ Janja expressing that he hated the jackals. |
| “ | We just chased ya out of our den yesterday. And now you're back? Guess I need to make an example of ya! | „ |
| ~ Janja about to attack the little jackal before being stopped by Kion. |
| “ | What're you doing in the Outlands, anyway? | „ |
| ~ Janja asking Kion what he's doing on Outlands. |
| “ | Ku... Ku... Kupatana? (Laughs) Okay, Kion, you want the jackal? He's all yours. | „ |
| ~ Janja agreeing to leave Dogo. |
| “ | C'mon fellas. The Lion Guard's doin' us a favor today! (Laughs) Merry Kupatana! | „ |
| ~ Janja happy that the guard got rid of Dogo. |
| “ | There ain't no new plan! You're not in the crew anymore! Get out of the Outlands! You two, I'm giving you a promotion. | „ |
| ~ Janja's breakdown when he fired Cheezi and Chungu and replaced by Nne and Tano. |
| “ | All right, you twos, listen up. Now that you're my seconds-in-command, you gotta learn the rules. Rule number one, I am the smartest hyena around! Rule number three... | „ |
| ~ Janja explains the rules to his new henchmens. |
| “ | Uh-huh. Uh, well, good plan. Yeah! Finally. Hyenas who got smarts like me. Those other fur-brains never knew what they were doing. | „ |
| ~ Janja congratulating the new henchmen. |
| “ | I thought it couldn't get any worse. | „ |
| ~ Janja as he is stuck on a cliff and watched by the Guard. |
| “ | Kion: Okay, then. It's time for you to go home. Janja: Fine with me. I've had enough of this place for one day. Hey, you coming? Cheezi: Sure, Janja! Chungu: We thought you'd never ask! |
„ |
| ~ Janja welcomes Cheezi & Chungu back to his crew. |
| “ | Yeah. And since when do we take orders from the Lion Guard? | „ |
| ~ Janja says he does not care what the Lion Guard says. |
| “ | Janja: Relax. She ain't so tough. Out here all alone. Outnumbered. Nala: You sure you want to do this, Janja? Janja: Oh, I'm sure. The question is... Are you? |
„ |
| ~ Janja on the verge of attacking Nala. |
| “ | Oh, you mean Scar? Hate to break it to ya, Ushari. But Scar died in the fire at Pride Rock a long time ago. | „ |
| ~ Janja talking about Scar's death. |
| “ | It's gonna take more than one little mandrill to save you, Kiara! A lot more! | „ |
| ~ Janja kidnaps Kiara to lure the Lion Guard into his trap to bring Scar back. |
| “ | Janja: Uh... Are you... Scar: Yes. I am Scar. |
„ |
| ~ Janja sees Scar for the first time. |
| “ | It don't matter what he say, you two always gotta listen to me! | „ |
| ~ Janja reminding Cheezi and Chungu that although Scar is in charge now, they still has to listen to him. |
| “ | Okay, that lizards.... definitely not little. | „ |
| ~ Janja after meeting Kenge. |
| “ | Oh this ain't about turf, Jasiri. I told ya this wasn't over. | „ |
| ~ Janja invades Jasiri's territory. |
| “ | Oh, yeah? Well... So what! We'll keep comin' back, Kion! Again and again. Maybe next time we'll actually get rid of Kiara. Or Bunga. Or maybe even your Mom or Dad. Right there on Pride Rock! | „ |
| ~ Janja warns Kion that he will always come back and never stop. |
| “ | Janja: Why? Why did you help me? Jasiri: I'd help any hyena, Janja. Sisi ni Sawa. Janja: We're the same? Jasiri: You and your clan don't have to be on Scar's side Janja. You could join us. The Hyena Resistance and help defeat him. Janja: Hmm uh... I don't think so. We ain't the same Jasiri! Jasiri, confident and hopeful: We'll see. |
„ |
| ~ Janja showing his empathy to Jasiri after she saved him from the lava pit and shows hesitation about Jasiri's offer just as he declines the offer before he returns to Scar and the rest of the army, the same response that made Jasiri confident and hopeful he'll come around and made the skinks report the events to Scar when they doubt his loyalty. |
| “ | They all run away! Mizimu Grove is ours! | „ |
| ~ Janja celebrates the latest victory of Scar's army. |
| “ | Maybe Jasiri was right. Her hyenas seem to be happy working with the Lion Guard. Wonder if we would be too. | „ |
| ~ Janja begins to reconsider his choices. |
| “ | But Scar told us to go in there... We've been double-crossed! | „ |
| ~ Janja realizes that Scar has tried to kill him, as well as his clan. |
| “ | Jasiri: Janja! What are you doing here? This isn't your territory. Janja: Yeah, I know. I just, uh... Jasiri: You what? Janja: I've been thinking, about something you said to me a while ago. Jasiri: And, what's that? Janja: Aw, you know... "Sisi ni sawa means we're the same" Jasiri: Well! I never thought I'd hear you say that. Janja: You were right. Scar don't care about us hyenas. Jasiri: And, what made you realize that? Janja: The rest of my clan is trapped! In a fire at Pride Rock. Jasiri: A fire at Pride Rock? Janja: The Lion Guard's trapped, too. Jasiri: And, you're standing here singing? There's no time to lose! Let's go! Janja: Uh, uh, okay. Uh, whatever you say Jasiri! |
„ |
| ~ Janja ask Jasiri to help for saved his clan and The Lion Guard. |
| “ | Simba: Janja, what brings you here? Janja: I, uh... I know some stuff that might be helpful. Simba: Helpful how? Janja: I know how to defeat Scar. Simba: And, why should we believe you? A sworn enemy of the Pride Lands. Jasiri: Go on. Janja: Uh, well... " Sisi ni sawa means we're the same. Though I've got spots and you have a mane. At the end of the..." Jasiri: Janja! Ugh, I meant, tell Simba what you know. Janja: Oh! Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right. Simba: No offense, Jasiri. But, it is difficult for me to believe that Janja has changed sides. Makuu: Your Highness, you gave me a chance when no one else in the Pride Lands would. If Janja's information is useful, we should use it to beat Scar. If it isn't, then we crocodiles will be happy to have him for a late night snack. Kion: Makuu's right, dad. If Jasiri believes Janja, I think we should at least hear what he has to say. Simba: Kion. Always willing to forgive your enemies. It's a noble trait. And, part of what makes you you. Very well. Janja. Janja: Okay. Well, Scar says that only Kion can defeat him. By using the Roar. Kion: If the Roar brought Scar back, I guess it could get rid of him, too. Janja: But, it's gotta be the most powerful Roar you've got. |
„ |
| ~ Janja wins the Pridelanders's trust. |
| “ | Janja: If you ask me, there's only one animal that can keep the peace between the Pride Lands and the Outlands. Kiburi: And, who's that? You? Janja: Nope, I ain't that dumb. From now on, Jasiri should be in charge of the Outlands. Jasiri: Me? Kion: Makes sense to me. Jasiri: Outlanders, I know we can all get along here in the Outlands. Just so long as we respect the Circle of Life. Janja: And if you don't, then you'll have to answer to Jasiri's new clan, which includes us. |
„ |
| ~ Janja chose Jasiri as the new leader of the Oultands while merging his clan with her. |
| “ | Hate to admit it, but us hyenas don't stand a chance against those lions. | „ |
| ~ Janja speaking about the Outsiders. |
| “ | Being a good guy ain't so bad. | „ |
| ~ Janja appreciate to be a good guy. |
Songs sung by Janja[]
- "Tonight We Strike."
- "Outta the Way."
- "Panic and Run."
- "Bring Back a Legend."
- "The Worst Hyena We Know."
- "We're the Smartest."
- "I'm gonna run this Dump."
- "A New Way To Go."
Trivia[]
- The name "Janja" means "crafty" in Swahili.
- Janja is male and leader of his clan, but in real life, hyenas are led by females. Thus, it's theorized that Janja's clan lacked from females and he was allowed to take over the reins due to being a dominant male. It is also possible that Janja does not believe in this logic.
- Of all the characters in The Lion Guard, Janja is the one who has the most songs.
- As shown in The Lake of Reflection, Janja knew Kion and his friends since they were very young, and the hyena was already evil at that age.
- Janja and his clan are descendants of the Hyena Clan from the original film.
- It is possible that Janja was inspired by Banagi, a hyena who was an antagonist in the early drafts of The Lion King, who like Janja was male and led his clan.
- Judging by personality, Janja can be assumed to be The Lion Guard's equivalent of Shenzi:
- Both are the leaders of their clans.
- Both are accompanied by two other members of their species (Cheezi and Chungu for Janja and Banzai and Ed for Shenzi).
- Given this, some fans speculate that Janja is the offspring of Shenzi and Banzai, which would also explain his position as the clan leader, yet there are no solid arguments to support or refute this theory.
- Janja and the other hyenas believe that Scar died in the great fire years ago after Simba defeated him, unaware of the fact that their ancestors, Shenzi's hyena clan, killed Scar in revenge for his betrayal and broken promises. This happened to Zira in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride which Zira, who is avenging Scar, thinks that Simba killed him even though Simba only made him fall to the place he gets killed by the Hyenas.
- It is unknown why he believes this. One possibility could be that he was born after Scar's death and heard about his demise by the fire. Another possibility is that he was only a cub when Scar was killed.
- "Journey to the Pride Lands" is the only episode where Janja appears without his minions, Cheezi and Chungu. Likewise, "The Zebra Mastermind" is the only episode where Cheezi and Chungu appear without Janja.
- Although he is a teenager, Janja is almost the same size as Nala. In the Season 3, Janja is the same size as Teen Kion and seems to be at Simba's chin, which is probably the same size as the original movie's hyenas. However, it's unclear whether Janja has grown into an adult or if he's still a teenager.
- According to the show's creator, Ford Riley, Janja [prior to his redemption] felt confused about his feelings towards Jasiri despite their rivalry and conflicting beliefs. Janja's behavior around Jasiri in the final 2 episodes of the series imply that the two may be romantically involved, though that remains unconfirmed.
- It is revealed in "Journey to the Pride Lands" that Janja suffers from astraphobia which is a fear of thunderstorms, and he gets nauseous whenever he sets foot on a floating log.
- It is also revealed in "The Scorpion's Sting" that Janja suffers from some kind of a form of arachnophobia which is a fear of arachnids such as scorpions as he jumped onto Kirbui when Sumu came near him.
External Links[]
- Janja on the Heroes Wiki
- Janja on the Lion King Wiki
- Janja on the Lion Guard Wiki
[]
 Villains
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