Rafiki is Swahili for "friend," which is pretty fitting given that he's both Mufasa and Simba's closest confidant and most trusted adviser (sorry, Zazu). He's one of the wisest characters in the entire movie and definitely carries a tranquil air about him. But Rafiki surprises us all when, during Scar's ambush on Pride Rock, he jumps in to help fight off the rabid pack of hyenas with his trusty Bakora staff — and his fists, of course. While we do see Rafiki bop Simba on the head a few times throughout the film to knock some sense into him, this is the first real glimpse we get into another side of the mandrill, which shows that even overwhelmingly good characters can have a little bit of fight in them.
