Afterwards, Kerchak changed from being loving and warm to strict and stern. Kerchak reigns by violence and fear heightened by his unpredictable mood swings and bouts of madness. Kerchak moves the troop to another part of the jungle, most likely to prevent any of the troop's other youngsters from being is danger. Per the common practice among Mangani tribes, the band self-identifies by the name of its leader, and is therefore known as "the tribe of Kerchak." A devastated Kerchak and Kala mourn their son's death. Unbeknownst to … In the novel Tarzan of the Apes, Kerchak is the "king" of a tribal band of Mangani, a fictional species of great ape intermediate between real life chimpanzees and gorillas. He is the main antagonist of Tarzan of the Apes. Kerchak is a major character in Disney's 1999 animated feature film, Tarzan. Biography He was the leader of the gorillas, the mate of Kala and the adopted father of the film's title character. Kerchak is a villainous Mangani from the original Tarzan books, a vicious silverback who was responsible for the deaths of Tarzan's original family. His role was replaced in the 1999 Disney cartoon film by Sabor, a rogue leopard.