Lion

"Lion" is a magical lion-like creature whom Steven tries to befriend in "Steven's Lion." Lion protects Steven, as seen in "Steven's Lion" and "So Many Birthdays." It is heavily implied that Lion has some sort of deep connection with Rose Quartz.

Appearance
Lion has pink fur, a lighter pink star shaped mane and a dark pink nose. Occasionally, Lion has a glowing white mane and eyes (this is when he is performing magical abilities). At the end of his tail, there is a tuft of light pink fur that matches his mane.

Personality
Lion is an enigmatic character whose sentience and sapience is somewhat questionable. Much like a normal animal he rarely changes his expression, but for the most part he is quiet and docile. Though he can be considered a "pet" for Steven, Lion looks after himself and often "does his own thing". While Lion does not seem to acknowledge Steven most of the time, he does seem to understand Steven to a certain extent, responding whenever Steven needs him in enigmatic ways. This is shown in "Lion 2: The Movie" when he takes him and Connie to Rose's Secret Armory when he remarked how he was not "trained very well", or how he nearly smothered Steven's face to show him the dimension in his mane when he said he wanted to know more about his mother in "Lion 3: Straight to Video."

Abilities
Lion has a supersonic roar that can destroy/knock down brick structures, and open portals to places like Rose's Secret Armory, and he has been shown to be capable of leaping far distances. Lion can also walk on water, and summon Rose's sword from his head/mane. This gives the impression that Rose Quartz is linked with Lion somehow. This is further supported when it is shown that Lion's mane is a portal to a pocket dimension filled with items Rose Quartz collected, such as her aforementioned sword, a photo of Rose and Greg, a videotape of Rose and Greg, a treasure chest, a t-shirt, a tattered flag with Rose's symbol, and an item inside a Rose Quartz bubble.

Episode appearances

 * "Steven's Lion"
 * "So Many Birthdays"
 * "Steven the Sword Fighter"
 * "Lion 2: The Movie"
 * "Rose's Room" (cameo)
 * "Monster Buddies"
 * "An Indirect Kiss"
 * "Ocean Gem"
 * "Fusion Cuisine" (cameo)
 * "Lion 3: Straight to Video"
 * "The Test"
 * "Rose's Scabbard"
 * "The Message"
 * "The Return"
 * "Jail Break"
 * "Full Disclosure"

Trivia

 * Rebecca Sugar's pet cat is also named Lion.
 * Lion's ability to teleport might have proven how he managed 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," when he is seen resting underneath the house "Steven the Sword Fighter."
 * In "Lion 3: Straight to Video," Steven allows Lion to sleep in the house in a bed he made for him.
 * One of the concept designs considered for Lion was an "unsettling, silent caricature of a lion, like an old medieval heraldry image. His face was frozen into an uncertain grin except for his eyes which would follow Steven around while he creeped out the other Crystal Gems. He might not be pretty and actually kinda suspicious, but Steven loved him."
 * As revealed in "Rose's Scabbard," only Steven can go inside Lion's Mane. This is most likely because he has Rose Quartz's Gem, though it could also be a matter of Lion's preference.
 * It is unclear how far lion can teleport, and it is possible that he could be used as an alternative means of transport to Warp Gates. In "Rose's Scabbard," Lion didn't need to use the Warp to appear in the Strawberry battlefield.

Lion