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Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed are a trio ofspotted hyenas that serve asScar's personal minions. They made their first appearance in Disney's 1994 animated feature,The Lion King. They are used primarily for comic relief, something that was carried over intoKingdom Hearts II.

Story[edit]

Kingdom Hearts II[edit]

When Sora, Donald, and Goofy arrive in the Pride Lands, they find themselves surrounded by a pack of hyenas led by Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed. Desperate for food, the hyenas attempt to make Sora and his friends their next meal, but decide against it after hearing Scar roar. The hyenas then leave to attend to Scar.

At Pride Rock, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed attempt to attack Sora and his friends once again, but the sound of Scar's roar stops them a second time. The trio of hyenas sees Scar standing withPete, who has assumed the form of a lion. Sora, Donald, and Goofy find themselves in danger, but are rescued byNala, who pins Scar down long enough for them to escape. Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed attempt to pursue the heroes, but fail to catch them.

When Sora returns once again to Pride Rock withSimba, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed appear and block Simba's path to Scar. Sora orders Simba to pursue Scar while he, Donald, and Goofy stay behind and take care of the hyenas.Timon andPumbaa arrive and get Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed's attention; the trio of hyenas chases them into the depths of Pride Rock. Sora and friends follow them; they face the hyenas in battle and defeat them. Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed flee from Pride Rock, abandoning Scar.

On Sora's second visit to the Pride Lands, he chases down and fights Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed for information on the source ofThe Ghost of Scar. This turns out to be a wasted effort, for the hyenas know nothing about the ghost at all. Despite this, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed still proceed to taunt Simba for his weakness in facing the ghost.

Design[edit]

A trio of spotted hyenas, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed share the same basic appearance. They are each rather mangy, the top half of their bodies covered in grey fur while their bellies are tan and their paws are dark brown. They each have hunched backs and dark purple spots on their backs, as well as rings of the same color around their eyes. They have short, black tails and a crest of long, black hair lining their spines. Each member of the trio has dark brown ears and a dark brown nose, as well as yellow eyes and sharp, slightly yellowed teeth.

Shenzi sports five long, dark brown "bangs" on the top of her head, and the patches around her eyes are shaped to resemble heavily applied eyeshadow. She seems to have a larger upper lip than her two companions, and her eyes are usually half-shut. She also lacks the dark grey "stubble" mark that Banzai and Ed possess.

Banzai's most distinguishing feature is his unusually heavy, dark brown eyebrows. He has two very short strands of dark brown hair on top of his head. The fur on Banzai's chin is slightly longer than either Shenzi's or Ed's, making him appear as if he has a short beard.

In a sharp contrast to Shenzi and Banzai, Ed's eyes are always wide open and rarely focus on anything. His mouth usually hangs open, with his tongue lolling. Ed has a slightly mangier mane, with three strands of dark brown hair on the top of his head, and notched ears.

Personality[edit]

Shenzi is the leader of the hyena trio; she is also its most cunning member. Shenzi constantly insults Banzai and Ed and resents their bumbling natures. Despite this, she considers them to be her friends. Shenzi's personality is quite fitting, as her name means "barbarous" ("savagely cruel; exceedingly brutal") in Swahili.

Banzai is the most aggressive member of the hyena trio; he constantly lurks around in search of food due to his constant hunger.

Ed is the least intelligent member of the hyena trio, for he is always smiling and laughs uncontrollably at everyone and everything. Ed never speaks, save a rare, few-word sentence, and he is always the victim of Shenzi and Banzai's jokes.

Origin[edit]

Shenzi (originally voiced byWhoopi Goldberg), Banzai, and Ed first appeared in Disney's 1994 animated feature,The Lion King. In the film, they try to attack the young Simba and Nala in the Elephant Graveyard on Scar's orders, but they soon flee afterMufasa arrives and rescues the lion cubs by fighting off the hyenas. Later, the hyenas help Scar execute his plan to kill Mufasa and Simba by attacking a large herd of wildebeests, causing the animals to run into a gorge where Simba is awaiting a "surprise" from his father. When Scar finds Simba trying to wake the dead Mufasa after the stampede, he reveals that the death of Mufasa is Simba's fault and orders the cub to run away and never return. As Simba flees, Scar then orders Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed to give chase and kill him. Simba manages to escape the hyenas, and they return to Scar.

Years later, when Simba returns to Pride Rock, he pursues Scar through Pride Rock after the evil lion confesses that he is the one who was responsible for Mufasa's death. The hyenas attack Simba and try to kill him, but Nala and the lionesses engage them in battle so that he may proceed. Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed chase Timon into Scar's cave, where the late Mufasa's majordomo, Zazu, is being held prisoner, but they are confronted and beaten up by Pumbaa after Banzai calls him a "pig." Timon and Zazu are freed in the process, and the hyenas flee the cave in terror. After Simba corners Scar and the hyenas come to aid him, they overhear Scar telling Simba that all the events that have transpired up to this point have been their fault and their idea. The hyenas leave in anger as a result of Scar's betrayal, and Simba engages his uncle in a climatic fight to the death. Simba manages to kick Scar off of Pride Rock, and the evil lion lands on the ground below. Despite Scar's pleas, the hyenas kill him as a result for his betrayal towards them.

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