Leon the Lion

 is a character from Mystic Forest Fighters.

Originally appearing as a victim of a group of bullies calling for the assistance of the Mystic Forest Fighters, Leon proved to be a witty young lion by devising a plan to help permanently stop his bullies in their tracks. Having been inspired by Joey the Kangaroo and Noah the Chameleon, Leon drastically changed physically and mentally over the course of two years and became the general of the Enchino army.

Bio
Leon was originally an intellectual high school student who could easily have been described as "nerdy" by others. Because of this, he was targeted by a group of hyena bullies at his school, who Leon believed were all jealous of him and his accomplishments academically. When the hyenas threatened to beat Leon up, he reached his subsequent breaking point and called upon the Mystic Forest Fighters for help in stopping them.

There, he met Joey the Kangaroo and Noah the Chameleon and told them his plan of catching his bullies off by surprise. However, the bullies would eventually deny the guild members' peaceful request to leave Leon alone and would resort to violence instead. As a result, the hyenas were easily defeated, and promised to never tease Leon again. The lion thanked the Mystic Forest Fighters profusely for their help and told them he would never forget it.

This statement by Leon would hold to be true, as after this encounter, he began a personal journey to better himself physically and mentally. Within the span of two years, Leon had evolved from a meek and introverted "cub" into a fierce and intimidating lion, who joined the Mystic Forest Fighters guild right after graduating high school. When Tovac the Goblin's army began their march for Enchino, Leon volunteered and was selected to lead as the general of the Enchino army due to his strength and intelligence.

Development
Back in the first season of Mystic Forest Fighters, Leon was originally slated to only appear in the episode "Bullies & Bad Intentions", being created by Jim Hanson solely for this reason. However, it was Fred Hugo's idea to bring Leon back in the third season to act as a surprise twist, saying how fitting it would be for his character to have evolved so much after meeting the Mystic Forest Fighters two years prior. Hanson loved the idea and agreed with him instantly, and thus, Leon would return.

Trivia

 * Leon holds the record for the longest break for any character appearance in between episodes, with this number being twenty-four, from "Bullies & Bad Intentions" to "Expeditious Retreat".