Mufasa

Mufasa is Simba's father, and the previous king of the Pride Lands. Mufasa taught Simba how past kings lived in the stars, and would always be there to guide him in times of need.

Kingdom Hearts II
The Lion King (1994)

''A great king of the Pride Lands who was loved by all the animals who lived there. He passed on the wisdom of generations of kings to his son Simba.''

Mufasa tried to climb to safety after saving young Simba from a stampede, but Scar sent him falling to his death.

Kingdom Hearts II
When Simba was a small cub, Mufasa came to Wildebeest Gorge to save him from being crushed by stampeding wildebeests. Although he saved Simba, he had to climb a cliff to exit the gorge. When he got to the top, he was tossed off the cliff by his own brother, Scar, and crushed by the stampede down below. After his death, Scar convinced Simba that it was his fault (Simba's) that Mufasa had died, and encouraged him to run away and never return. Scar then told the other lions that both Mufasa and Simba had died in the stampede, allowing him to take control of the Pride Lands as its new king.

Later, Mufasa appeared to Simba as a spirit to enlighten Simba's courage to take his role as the Pride Land's true king by usurping Scar's leadership.

It is his spirit (in the form of a star) that gives Sora access to a new pathway.

Appearance
Mufasa is a lion with light orange fur, except for the fur on his belly, the bottoms of his paws, and around his mouth, which is light peach-colored. His mane, which is quite long, is reddish brown. It parts on the right side of the top of his head, not unlike human hair. Mufasa's eyes are red and his sclera are yellow, while his eyebrows are black. His ears a just barely visible poking through his mane. He has ten dark-colored whiskers, five on either side of his upper lip. There is a tuft of reddish brown fur on the tip of his tail.

Origin
Mufasa originally appeared in the 1994 film The Lion King. In the film, he appears as the great ruler of the Pride Lands and as Simba's father. He saves Simba and Nala from being killed by Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed. Later, he saves Simba again, this time from a wildebeest stampede. After saving Simba, Scar makes Mufasa fall down from a cliff into the stampede, where he is killed by the wildebeest.

Trivia

 * Mufasa is one few characters to be killed in his origin to stay dead in the games, whereas the likes of Sephiroth, Aerith, and several Disney villains are all still alive.