In an African jungle situated directly on the equator lived a white lion named Panja, known as the "Emperor of the Jungle." However, Panja is killed by a hunter. His wife, the Queen of the Jungle, who has been captured by the hunter, gives birth to Panja's son aboard a ship transporting them to a zoo. She names her son "Leo" and helps him escape from the vessel, telling him, "Go back to Africa and become the successor of your father." A storm then strikes, capsizing and sinking the ship with the Queen still on board. Leo washes ashore on the beach of a port town in the Arabian Peninsula, rather than in Africa. This marks the beginning of Leo's long adventure.