Asante is a major character in Disney's 2024 animated feature film The Lion King: Kopa's Heart. She is a kind-hearted hyena who befriends Kopa after saving his life from drowning as a cub, and becomes a close friend with him growing up.
Background[]
Personality[]
Asante is good-natured, kind in spirit, and exceptionally smart. She has a very open-minded perspective, as she did not question whether hyenas and lions could be friends; rather, she was quick to accept that such a friendship was possible. She has other interspecies friendships as well, including a friendship with Kroko the crocodile.
Asante is sarcastic and spunky, and often teases her friend Kopa. In more serious situations, Asante shows bravery and maturity beyond her years. Even in everyday life, she displays a high level of understanding, as she was able to keep a secret of great magnitude from her fellow hyenas for a fairly long time. Though she sometimes struggles to communicate clearly, as Kopa believed her to have abandoned him when she really went to fetch help, she is considerably persistent and willing to tackle daunting problems. When faced with a tough choice, she is prone to at first turn away, but when given the chance to reconsider, she usually overcomes her fears and takes the challenge.
Appearances[]
The Lion King: Kopa's Heart[]
Asante was first seen at the river relaxing with Pimbi laying on her head, while watching Jambo and Kwaheri playing around and sharing one banana together. Until she saw Kopa floating in river right next to them. So Asante decided to jump into the river and save its life. But when she came on a dry land, learning that Kopa was lion cub in a coma, she decided to take him and show him to Ni, leader of the Lion Herd that lived deep in the jungle.
After showing Kopa to Ni and the other male lions, he woke up, coming face to face with them all. Even after spotting Asante for being a hyena, she knew that he was afraid of hyenas, but didn't have to be scared of her, because Asante just saved his life. However, when they learned that Kopa has lost his home and become an orphan, Ni offers him to join the herd and be raised by them. And for years, Asante started a beautiful friendship with Kopa.
In the teenage years, Asante begin to feel down by being the only hyena around without knowing anyone else. She revealed to an adolescent Kopa that she lost her own clan many years ago, and has been on her own since meeting befriending Pimbi, Jambo and Kwaheri, and even treated like a guest towards those lions in the jungle.