Rafiki is a supporting character in Disney's 1994 animated feature film, The Lion King. He is a mandrill who serves as a shaman and Royal Mjuzi of the Pride Lands. Rafiki has an eccentricity that paints him as something of a lunatic; in truth, he is a sage with a deep connection to magical and spiritual elements.
With his bakora stick always on his person, Rafiki uses his wisdom to guide those in need, most notably Simba.
It is revealed in the storybook A Tale of Two Brothers that Rafiki was not always a resident of the Pride Lands. Years before Mufasa's reign, Rafiki was a traveler studying the African lands who eventually stumbled upon the Pride Lands, where he was attacked by a young Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed. The mandrill was saved by Ahadi, the then-ruler of the Pride Lands and father of Mufasa and Scar (then known as Taka).
Eventually taking residence in the vast lands, Rafiki would soon become close companions with Mufasa and one day overheard Taka's plot to sabotage his brother's reputation, only to be foiled by the mandrill. The end results in Taka falling injured, with Rafiki using his abilities to tend to his wounds and heal him, though one mark remains on the lion's body - his scar, thus becoming the dangerously-envious Prince Scar.
Rafiki's heroic performance throughout the event leads to Ahadi requesting that the mandrill serves as the adviser to all future kings, which Rafiki accepts.
By the time of The Lion King, Rafiki lives in an ancient baobab tree, where he regularly performs shamanistic activities. He continues his role as Royal Mjuzi of the Pride Lands and remains a close friend to Mufasa and his family.
Rafiki is extremely sagacious and wise. However, his way of exploiting his intelligence is highly irregular; he prefers to teach his pupils (such as Simba) by bombarding them with cryptic metaphors, and typically in a way that purposely annoys them. He takes great joy in this, and though unconventional, the methods of his teaching have proven to be effective time and time again. It should be noted that part of the reason Rafiki's teachings are quite eccentric is the fact that Rafiki, himself, is fairly eccentric. He is excitable, energetic in spite of his age, and tends to fall into fits of hysterical laughter when something amuses him. He also tends to speak in third-person when speaking of himself.
Despite this, much as his reputation would conceive, Rafiki does have a tamer side. He takes his role as a sage of the Pride Lands somberly and will act diligently to ensure the balance of the "Circle of Life" remains intact. Whenever the Circle of Life is broken, Rafiki would become very depressed about it, such as when Scar allowed the hyenas into the Pridelands, or when Simba banished Kovu, the only hope of redemption for the Outsiders, out of arrogance and paranoia. He is also deeply connected to the spiritual world, as he is seen communicating (both professionally and casually) with Mufasa's spirit in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.