Kerchak
Encyclopedia
Kerchak is a fictional ape character in Edgar Rice Burroughs
's original Tarzan
novel, Tarzan of the Apes
, and in the Walt Disney
-produced animated movie Tarzan
based on it.
, a fictional species of Great Ape intermediate between real life chimpanzee
s and gorilla
s. In the beginning of the original novel, Kerchak leads his band against Tarzan's marooned
father and kills him; the infant Tarzan is saved by a female Mangani named Kala
, who rears the baby and protects him against Kerchak. When Tarzan reaches adulthood, he fights and kills Kerchak and succeeds him as king of the apes.
Burroughs's later Tarzan book Jungle Tales of Tarzan
, which relates additional details of Tarzan's youth among the apes, is also set during the period of Kerchak's rule of the ape band. However, while the ape band is continually referenced as "the tribe of Kerchak," Kerchak himself does not appear in the book.
(1999) was changed substantially from his original role in the series. The film Kerchak has no role in the slaying of Tarzan's father, but is portrayed as an over-protective leader of the ape group, as well as the mate to Tarzan's adoptive mother, Kala. Kerchak shuns Tarzan during his childhood (allowing him to stay only out of respect for Kala), but gradually begins to accept him in adulthood after Tarzan proves himself by killing the leopard Sabor (who's responsible for killing Tarzan's parents, as well as as Kerchak and Kala's first offspring) and saving the group from the hunter Clayton (who leads a posse of poachers hoping to capture the apes and selling them for profit). At the climax, when Kerchak helps the ape group fight against the poachers, he witness Tarzan getting shot on the arm by Clayton. Angered at this, Kerchak goes to attack Clayton, but gets fatally shot on the chest, much to Tarzan's anger and to Clayton's delight. After the final battle between Tarzan and Clayton ends with Clayton inadvertently cutting down the vines he's holding, which led himself to hang to his death, Kerchak passes his leadership position to Tarzan before dying of his injury, signifying his ultimate acceptance of him as both adopted son and a worthy successor similar to how Mufasa allowed Simba to be his successor in The Lion King
.
Following real life apes, Disney also made Kerchak a silverback gorilla; which is the name given to mature male gorillas because of the silver hair covering their backs. Kerchak was voiced by actor Lance Henriksen
.
The film's Kerchak is essentially a combination of the novel's Kerchak and another of the novel's ape characters, Tublat. In Burroughs's original story Tublat was Kala's mate, a fairly passive figure resentful of his foster-son Tarzan. The Kerchak of the film is closer in personality to Tublat than to the original Kerchak. However, in the spin-off television series, The Legend of Tarzan
, Tublat appeared with a personality much like the original Kerchak, being violent and seeking revenge on Kerchak through Tarzan (being his successor as leader of the gorillas), having been cast out many years ago after he challenged Kerchak for leadership and lost.
Kerchak also appears briefly in the video game Kingdom Hearts
. With no speaking lines, Kerchak first appears when Tarzan pleads with him and Kala to help him aid Sora, Donald and Goofy (in ape language, which the trio do not understand). Kerchak initially does not trust the trio, and matters are made worse when Clayton almost kills Terk, for the timely intervention of Donald (on whom Terk later develops a crush). However, Kerchak later comes to accept the trio after they defeat Clayton and his Heartless companion, the Stealth Sneak, and allows them access to the world's Keyhole, which Sora seals, protecting the world from the Heartless permanently.
Interestingly, in the original film Kerchak dies after being shot by Clayton, whilst in Kingdom Hearts he survives the fight. It's unknown if he had passed his leadership position onto Tarzan like he did in the film.
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
's original Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
novel, Tarzan of the Apes
Tarzan of the Apes
Tarzan of the Apes is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first in a series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published in the pulp magazine All-Story Magazine in October, 1912; the first book edition was published in 1914. The character was so popular that Burroughs...
, and in the Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
-produced animated movie Tarzan
Tarzan (1999 film)
Tarzan is a 1999 American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures on June 18, 1999...
based on it.
History
In the novel Tarzan of the Apes Kerchak is the "king" of a tribal band of ManganiMangani
Mangani is the name of a fictional species of great apes in the Tarzan novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, and of the invented language used by these apes. In the invented language, Mangani is the apes' word for their own kind, although the term is also applied to humans...
, a fictional species of Great Ape intermediate between real life chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
s and gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
s. In the beginning of the original novel, Kerchak leads his band against Tarzan's marooned
Marooning
Marooning is the intentional leaving of someone in a remote area, such as an uninhabited island. The word appears in writing in approximately 1709, and is derived from the term maroon, a word for a fugitive slave, which could be a corruption of Spanish cimarrón, meaning a household animal who has...
father and kills him; the infant Tarzan is saved by a female Mangani named Kala
Kala (Tarzan)
Kala is a fictional ape character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's original Tarzan novel, Tarzan of the Apes, and in the Walt Disney-produced animated movie Tarzan based on it....
, who rears the baby and protects him against Kerchak. When Tarzan reaches adulthood, he fights and kills Kerchak and succeeds him as king of the apes.
Burroughs's later Tarzan book Jungle Tales of Tarzan
Jungle Tales of Tarzan
Jungle Tales of Tarzan is a collection of twelve loosely-connected short stories written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, comprising the sixth book in order of publication in his series about the title character Tarzan...
, which relates additional details of Tarzan's youth among the apes, is also set during the period of Kerchak's rule of the ape band. However, while the ape band is continually referenced as "the tribe of Kerchak," Kerchak himself does not appear in the book.
Disney's version
Kerchak's character in the Disney adaptationTarzan (1999 film)
Tarzan is a 1999 American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures on June 18, 1999...
(1999) was changed substantially from his original role in the series. The film Kerchak has no role in the slaying of Tarzan's father, but is portrayed as an over-protective leader of the ape group, as well as the mate to Tarzan's adoptive mother, Kala. Kerchak shuns Tarzan during his childhood (allowing him to stay only out of respect for Kala), but gradually begins to accept him in adulthood after Tarzan proves himself by killing the leopard Sabor (who's responsible for killing Tarzan's parents, as well as as Kerchak and Kala's first offspring) and saving the group from the hunter Clayton (who leads a posse of poachers hoping to capture the apes and selling them for profit). At the climax, when Kerchak helps the ape group fight against the poachers, he witness Tarzan getting shot on the arm by Clayton. Angered at this, Kerchak goes to attack Clayton, but gets fatally shot on the chest, much to Tarzan's anger and to Clayton's delight. After the final battle between Tarzan and Clayton ends with Clayton inadvertently cutting down the vines he's holding, which led himself to hang to his death, Kerchak passes his leadership position to Tarzan before dying of his injury, signifying his ultimate acceptance of him as both adopted son and a worthy successor similar to how Mufasa allowed Simba to be his successor in The Lion King
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
.
Following real life apes, Disney also made Kerchak a silverback gorilla; which is the name given to mature male gorillas because of the silver hair covering their backs. Kerchak was voiced by actor Lance Henriksen
Lance Henriksen
Lance James Henriksen is an American actor and artist best known to film and television audiences for his roles in science fiction, action, and horror films such as the Alien film franchise, and on television shows such as Millennium....
.
The film's Kerchak is essentially a combination of the novel's Kerchak and another of the novel's ape characters, Tublat. In Burroughs's original story Tublat was Kala's mate, a fairly passive figure resentful of his foster-son Tarzan. The Kerchak of the film is closer in personality to Tublat than to the original Kerchak. However, in the spin-off television series, The Legend of Tarzan
The Legend of Tarzan
The Legend of Tarzan is an animated television series created by The Walt Disney Company in 2001, based on the Tarzan character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs....
, Tublat appeared with a personality much like the original Kerchak, being violent and seeking revenge on Kerchak through Tarzan (being his successor as leader of the gorillas), having been cast out many years ago after he challenged Kerchak for leadership and lost.
Kerchak also appears briefly in the video game Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts
is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The first game in the Kingdom Hearts series, it is the result of a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company. The game combines characters and settings from Disney...
. With no speaking lines, Kerchak first appears when Tarzan pleads with him and Kala to help him aid Sora, Donald and Goofy (in ape language, which the trio do not understand). Kerchak initially does not trust the trio, and matters are made worse when Clayton almost kills Terk, for the timely intervention of Donald (on whom Terk later develops a crush). However, Kerchak later comes to accept the trio after they defeat Clayton and his Heartless companion, the Stealth Sneak, and allows them access to the world's Keyhole, which Sora seals, protecting the world from the Heartless permanently.
Interestingly, in the original film Kerchak dies after being shot by Clayton, whilst in Kingdom Hearts he survives the fight. It's unknown if he had passed his leadership position onto Tarzan like he did in the film.