 "Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle" marks an important transition in the plot-type presented in the Tarzan series, presaged by the earlier "Tarzan the Untamed".Previous novels dealt primarily with the ape-man's own affairs and family; beginning with this novel, he becomes an apparently rootless adventurer serving as a savior and enabler of a cast of secondary characters which changes in each book.While a few previously established and new characters continue to appear, notably the lion Jad-bal-Ja, the monkey Nkima, and Muviro, sub-chief of Tarzan's Waziri tribe, along with his warriors, most formerly major characters are dropped aside from an occasional token appearance.