Kopa (The Lion King)
Kopa is an fictional lion character who was featured in The Lion King: Six New Adventures, a book series released following the success of Disney's popular 1994 animated feature The Lion King. he had also appeared in the film.
The Lion King
Kopa was the new-born cub of Simba and Nala in the ending moments of The Lion King. He makes an extremely brief appearance in which he is presented by Rafiki in a triumphant ceremony mirroring the beginning of the film.
The Lion King: Six New Adventures
In the book series, Kopa is featured in Vulture Shock. According to the illustrations, he looks almost exactly like Simba as a cub, except for a small tuft of brown fur on his head. He is described as loving to hear stories.
In the story, Kopa wanted to find his family tree so he asked Simba to take him to it. Simba was busy and Kopa decided he'd find it by himself. After he found a lizard and chased it he ended up in a dry, barren land. He couldn't find a way back so he curled up and fell asleep. In the morning he was found by two vultures who took him for ransom. They kept him prisoner high up in a tree. He was later found by the Buzzard Boyz, a group of rapping vultures. They befriended Kopa and brought Simba and Nala to him. Kopa was then rescued.
Trivia
- Many people believe that Kopa's name is Tanabi, but this is incorrect. Tanabi is a popular name used in The Lion King fanfiction and websites. It originated from a fanfiction series known as "The Tales of Tanabi". Kopa is one of several names owned by the Disney Company as possible names for the cub at the end of The Lion King.
- After the release of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Disney disregarded the existence of Kopa as evidenced by Simba and Nala only having a daughter named Kiara in the movie.