Living

Kio

Also known as Kiongozi · The Prince Who Became King · Nat Geo’s LION

c. 2021 – present

Born in Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Kio is a male lion of Kenya’s Masai Mara and the hero of LION, the National Geographic series released in August 2026 that followed him for four years, the first time a natural history production has filmed a lion’s whole journey from cub to king. Executive produced by Jon Favreau, director of the live-action The Lion King, and the BBC’s Mike Gunton, narrated by O.J. Lynch, who played Mufasa on stage, and scored by Hans Zimmer, the crew logged nearly 1,400 filming days on 52 expeditions.

He was born to Summer, the ageing queen of one of the Mara’s largest prides, probably her last cub. Timid and the smallest of a band of older brothers, he survived a buffalo attack as a young cub and had to earn the brothers’ respect. When the young males were banished and the dry season set in, Summer left the pride with them; after she was gravely injured on a buffalo hunt, Kio was forced into independence far sooner than expected. The brothers survived on the fringes, in territory ruled by older males, until they found a marsh rich in prey and a pride of lionesses.

Mara guides know Kio as one of the Topi Boys, a coalition of seven young males born into the Topi Pride around 2021: Ukingo, Otipo, Djodjo, Moja, Vuli, Nzuri and Kio. In December 2024 they took over the Marsh Pride, the most filmed pride of lions in the world, and they now divide their time between the Marsh and the neighbouring Paradise Pride. Kio is still alive.

7Males in his coalition

4Years filmed

~1,400Filming days

2024Took the Marsh Pride

Profile

Identity

Name: KioThe name he is best known by
Nicknames: Kiongozi (reportedly)
Origin of the name: Information not availableNot explained by National Geographic; reportedly short for Kiongozi, Swahili for leader
Sex: Male
Distinguishing features: Information not available
Weight: Information not availableFor reference, adult male lions usually weigh 150–260 kg

Birth & Family

Born: c. 2021The Topi Boys are reported to have been born in 2021
Birthplace: Masai Mara National Reserve, KenyaIn the nursing grounds of his mother’s pride
Birth pride: Summer’s Pride (as named in the series)Identified by guides as the Topi Pride of the Topi Plains
Father: Information not availableNot named in the series; the Topi Boys are reported to have been sired by the Salas males
Mother: Summer
Siblings: The Topi Boys: Ukingo, Otipo, Djodjo, Moja, Vuli and Nzuri (brothers and cousins)He was the youngest of the brotherhood

Reign

Pride king: Yes, one of the seven pride males of the Marsh Pride
Prides ruled: Marsh Pride (from December 2024); also the Paradise Pride
Pride size: Six adult lionesses in the Marsh Pride in 2026
Reign: About 2 years so far (December 2024 – present)
Ruled with: Ukingo, Otipo, Djodjo, Moja, Vuli and Nzuri
Coalition: The Topi Boys
Home range: Musiara Marsh, the Bila Shaka area and the Paradise Plains, Masai Mara, Kenya
Territory size: Information not available

Death

Died: Information not availableStill living
Age at death: Information not availableAbout five in 2026
Cause of death: Information not available
Place of death: Information not available
Burial: Information not available

Names & Meanings

KioName

The name used in LION and by Governors’ Camp guides for this member of the Topi Boys.

KiongoziReported guide name

Some fans say his Mara name is Kiongozi, Swahili for leader, and that Kio is short for it. Not confirmed by National Geographic.

Family & Lineage

MotherSummerThe ageing queen of his birth pride, at the heart of LION.View record →

Reported fathers’ coalitionSalas malesThe Topi Boys are reported to have been sired by the Salas males. The series shows the pride males Orkitok, Olepolos and Osapuk.

KiongoziKioc. 2021 – present

Brother · Moja MojaMojaSaid by fans to be the dominant male of the Topi Boys.

Brothers & cousinsUkingo, Otipo, Djodjo, Vuli & NzuriThe rest of the seven-strong Topi Boys coalition.

AuntsWinter & AutumnSummer’s sisters and co-leaders of his birth pride.View record →

Offspring of the coalitionMarsh Pride cubsCubs born to the Marsh lionesses since 2025, such as Kaleo’s sons Musiara and Olonyori (October 2025). In a coalition, which male fathered which cub is not known.

Life Story

c. 2021
Born to Summer, an older lioness, in the nursing grounds of her pride; probably her last cub.
8 weeks old
First filmed by the LION crew, sticking close to his mother.
First months
Saw a buffalo hunt end in tragedy, then survived a buffalo attack after wandering off alone.
12 weeks old
The youngest and smallest of the brotherhood, he had to earn the acceptance of his older brothers.
Dry season
The young males were banished from the pride. Summer left with them and Kio, hunting for the brothers alone.
Later
Summer was gravely injured on a buffalo hunt. Kio was forced into independence far earlier than expected.
Teenage years
Survived with his brothers in territory ruled by rival males. A brutal attack scattered the brotherhood; lost and alone, Kio called out and found them again.
December 2024
With his brothers, the Topi Boys, took over the Marsh Pride of the Musiara Marsh.
October 2025
The first cubs of the new era were born in the Marsh Pride.
19 – 20 August 2026
His story was broadcast as LION on National Geographic, then on Disney+ and Hulu.

Legend & Truth

Which lion is Kio?

National Geographic has not published the Mara names of its lions. Governors’ Camp, where LION’s filmmakers were based, lists a Kio among the seven Topi Boys, and the series ends with the brothers taking a marsh and its pride, as the Topi Boys did in December 2024. Some fans say his guide name is Kiongozi.

A link to the Black Rock Boys

The pride males shown in LION include Olepolos and Osapuk. The Kenya Wildlife Service named the same two Topi Pride males as the lions that killed Oloshipa of the Black Rock Boys in September 2025.

Back to the Marsh

The Topi Pride is said to have begun around 2018 as a breakaway group of Marsh Pride lionesses. If so, Kio and his brothers did not conquer a stranger’s land so much as return to their family’s old ground.

Real story, cinematic telling

National Geographic describes LION as rooted in documentary truth but told with the scale and emotion of a blockbuster drama, with subtle musical echoes of The Lion King.