Scar stands as the quintessential animated villain. Debuting in “The Lion King” in 1994, this ominous lion remains a topic of interest not only as the movie’s antagonist but also due to his striking appearance and name. A lingering mystery in the film is Scar’s true name. Various sources of lore describe how he acquired his iconic scar, and within the broader “The Lion King” universe, two alternate names for him have emerged, leading fans to debate which should be considered official.

In the original 1994 movie, he’s known simply as Scar, sparking curiosity since the name seems to derive from the visible scar over his eye, suggesting it’s a nickname. Over the past 30 years, two potential real names have surfaced: Taka and Askari. Taka was first introduced in a collection of six spin-off books released with the original film titled “The Lion King: Six New Adventures.” In the first book, “A Tale of Two Brothers,” Mufasa and Scar’s history is explored, and Scar is referred to as Taka.

This marked the initial usage of Taka, but it wasn’t the last. His name resurfaces in subsequent narratives, though another animated series later introduces a different name for Scar, offering an alternative account regarding his true identity. This dual revelation has contributed to ongoing debates about his canonical name among fans.

The animated series “The Lion Guard” presented an option for Scar’s original name rooted in his ancestry. The first leader of the Lion Guard, Askari, appears in the third season of the show as a spirit. Askari is the second-born son and ultimately not meant to take over for his father as King of the Pride Lands.

In an Instagram message, writer and executive producer of the series Ford Riley shared that he believed Scar was named after his ancestor Askari, but his name was shortened to “Scar” by his brother Mufasa, rather than as a nickname based on his injury. The show presents him obtaining his scar from a snake bite, while the Disney feature film “Mufasa: The Lion King” shows it was from a fight with a white lion.

Though parts of “The Lion Guard” are considered canon by the fan base, many agree that “Taka” makes more sense as Scar’s original name due to its meaning in Swahili. It directly translates to “waste” in English, which could be commentary on his wasted potential as he becomes evil and turns against Mufasa.

The name Taka returns with the 2024 movie “Mufasa: The Lion King.” The film serves to show Mufasa and Scar’s lives when they were younger, and it not only shows how Scar received his namesake injury and reveals more of his dark history, but concurs with the book “A Tale of Two Brothers” that his real name is Taka.

Rafiki the mandrill shares with Simba and Nala’s daughter Kiara how Mufasa and Taka met, identifying Scar’s real name early on in the narrative (it isn’t a small detail you’d miss). As the two grow up together, the audience learns about how Taka told Kiros, a white lion who leads the Outsiders, that he will join them and let Kiros fight Mufasa. Mufasa killed Kiros’s son, and Kiros wants an eye for an eye. However, Taka changes his mind after the fight starts, and when he tries to intervene, Kiros injures his face, causing the scar across his eye. Mufasa won’t say Taka’s name after the incident, so Taka starts going by Scar instead.

The movie seemingly affirms that Scar’s real name is Taka, like the book did. Even during the casting announcements for “Mufasa: The Lion King,” the character was referred to as Taka and not Scar, providing confirmation before its release that they would continue using Taka as Scar’s real name. With it used in two different projects, it’s safe to say that Taka was the character’s given name before he become known as Scar.