The Jungle Book Characters

Rules of the JungleMowgli is the most recognizable character from The Jungle Book, thanks in part to all the movie and stage adaptations that cast him as the star, but also because he's the protago...

You'll Find Him in da ClubKotick, the protagonist of "The White Seal," is the seal version of Mowgli. Like Mowgli, a boy raised by wolves, Kotick is a unique figure. When he's born, we're told, "Th...

Rikki-tikki-tavi is the most famous Jungle Book character who didn't star in a Disney flick. He and all the other characters in his chapter get their own Rikki-tikki-tavi analysis over here.

A Boy and His ElephantLittle Toomai's chapter might be called "Toomai of the Elephants," but the elephants are arguably more important than Little Toomai is. Little Toomai's story can be summed up...

A Purr-fect PlanBagheera is the second person (well, animal, but they're all so personified, it's hard to think of them otherwise) who speaks up for Mowgli at Council Rock. He bargains for the boy'...

Bear Necessities Baloo is a "sleepy brown bear" (1.52) who wakes up long enough to speak for Mowgli at the Wolf Pack Council when they're deciding whether to keep the boy or feed him to Shere Khan....

Tiger Tiger Burning… DimShere Khan might be the least scary tiger ever. Seriously, this tiger is scarier than Shere Khan. His lackey, Tabaqui (hey, that rhymes) calls him "The Big One" (1.8), but...

He's a Cold-Hearted SnakeKaa has just molted when Baloo and Bagheera find him sunning himself on a rock. He's thirty feet long (yikes), and hates the monkeys because they make fun of him. Teasing K...

Hungry Like the WolfAkela is "the great grey Lone Wolf" (1.47) who leads the Wolf Pack. He's kind and honorable—unlike most of the other wolves—but the pack doesn't seem like it wants a leader....

Dances with WolvesMother and Father Wolf are the first characters we meet in Chapter One. We see Father Wolf, scratching himself like Al Bundy, and Mother Wolf taking care of the cubs. They adhere...

Monkey See, Monkey Don'tThe monkeys of the jungle, also known as the Bandar-log, think they're above everyone else—literally. They seduce Mowgli with the promise of food and freedom at a time Mow...

Papa SealSea Catch is Kotick's father, and he represents the "old guard" of the seals. He's a "huge grey fur-seal" with "wicked dog-teeth" (7.3). He's not a lover, he's a fighter, "scarred all over...

The Menagerie We meet a few arguing animals in the "Her Majesty's Servants" chapter: Billy the mule, another nameless mule, a camel, Dick Cunliffe's horse, and Two Tails the elephant. These animals...

The Village PeopleMowgli briefly lives in a village near the jungle he was raised, and during his time here, we meet a few pretty flat characters.There's the priest, who agrees to let Mowgli in onl...