Tama is a white tiger who was rescued as a cub by Nagi while she was exploring Africa—a detail the mangaka has acknowledged was a mistake, since tigers don't actually live there. He was raised on luxury food like Matsuzaka beef and expensive tuna, which has left him completely dependent on that lifestyle and unable to survive in a zoo or the wild.
Tama can actually speak human language, but he keeps this hidden from both Maria and Nagi. He doesn't want to ruin Nagi's innocent view of him as a regular tiger. His loyalty to Nagi runs deep—he'd sacrifice his life for her without hesitation, partly because he relates to Hayate's difficult circumstances.
The tiger has a strict hierarchy of respect: Maria sits at the absolute top, followed by an impassable wall in second place, then Nagi, himself, and everyone else way down the list. His personality shifts depending on the situation. In comedic scenes or when he's communicating, Tama gets drawn in a cartoony style and can stand at roughly human height on his hind legs. Most of the time he appears this way, though occasionally the manga will show him at his actual tiger size and proportions for a more realistic effect.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
