Lion is a magical pink lion befriended by Steven that occasionally assists the Crystal Gems. Once a normal lion (presumably owned by Rose Quartz in the Desert hundreds of years ago), Lion eventually died through unknown means. Rose Quartz was able to resurrect Lion through her healing powers, giving Lion pink fur and magical abilities. After being entrusted with many of Rose's belongings, Lion roamed the Desert alone following Rose's departure until eventually being found by Steven.
Lion has round ears, pink fur, black eyes, a soft light pink star-shaped mane, and a dark brownish-magenta heart-shaped nose. When Lion uses his magical abilities, his eyes and mane emit a white glow. There is a tuft of soft pink fur at the end of his thin tail.
Personality[]
Lion is an enigmatic creature whose sentience and sapience is somewhat questionable. However, he seems to act like a typical house cat, doing things like chasing butterflies in "Rose's Scabbard" and snapping at the dragonfly-like lights created by Sardonyx in "Cry for Help". Much like a normal animal, he rarely changes his expression and for the most part, he is quiet and docile. Though he is considered a "pet" for Steven, Lion looks after himself and often sees to his own activities. While Lion does not seem to acknowledge Steven most of the time, he does appear to understand Steven to a certain extent, responding whenever Steven needs him in mysterious ways. "Lion 2: The Movie" shows this understanding when he takes him and Connie to Rose's Secret Armory after Steven remarks how Lion is not "trained very well", and in "Lion 3: Straight to Video", Lion nearly smothers Steven's face to show him the dimension in his mane when Steven said he wanted to know more about his mother. Additionally, when Steven forced him outside, he whined and looked at him with sad eyes, showing that he didn't want to be left without him and that he does care about Steven in a sense.
Trivia[]
Rebecca Sugar's pet cat is also named Lion.
Lion's ability to teleport might explain how he manages to follow the Crystal Gems back to the Temple in "Steven's Lion".
Lion usually sleeps near the house of the temple, as shown in "Fusion Cuisine" and in "Steven the Sword Fighter", when he is seen resting underneath the house.
