Kimba the White Lion

is a Japanese shōnen manga series created by Osamu Tezuka which was serialized in the Manga Shōnen magazine from November 1950 to April 1954. An anime based on the manga was created by Mushi Production and was broadcast on Fuji Television from 1965 to 1967. It was the first color animated television series created in Japan where its popularity grew worldwide. The reboot series was produced by Tezuka Productions from October 12, 1989 to October 11, 1990.

A new TV special premiered September 5, 2009 in commemoration of Fuji TV's 50th anniversary. It was directed by Gorō Taniguchi, written by noted novelist and drama writer Osamu Suzuki, and featuring character designs from noted illustrator Yoshitaka Amano.

Plot
In Africa during the mid-20th century, as mankind encroaches, the white lion Panja gives the jungle's wild animals a safe haven. However, he angers nearby villagers by stealing their cattle and their food to feed the jungle carnivores. A professional hunter was called in to stop these raids and successfully kills Panja by baiting him using his trapped pregnant mate, Eliza, who was then put aboard a ship, destined for a zoo. Panja and Eliza's son, Leo is born on the boat and was taught his father's ideals by Eliza. As a huge tropical storm nears, Eliza sacrifices herself to save her cub out through the cage bars. Now all alone, Leo is stranded and begins to despair, until his mother encourages him through her constellation in the starry sky. Leo manages to land only far from his ancestral home and is found and cared for by some people. He learns the advantages of human culture, and decides that when he returns to his wild home he will bring culture to the jungle and stand for peace like his father. The show follows Leo's life after he returns to the wild, still a young cub, and how he learns and grows in the next year. Leo soon learns that only communication and mutual understanding between animals and humans will bring true peace.