ThunderCats (2011 series)/Characters/Thundercats

Lion-O
"Voiced by: Will Friedle"

Lion-O is a prince, made Lord of the Thundercats due to the murder of his father, Claudus. In contrast to the 80's series, Lion-O is introduced as a brash, idealistic teenager.

Tropes associated with Lion-O:
"Tygra: "When it comes to everything except the crown, you're always going to be second place.""
 * 24-Hour Armor: Always wears his cuirass
 * Adaptive Armor: When Lion-O obtains the Spirit Stone and places it in his claw gauntlet, it extends to cover his full arm.
 * Adorkable: He was always a little awkward, but it hasn't been noticeable since the Trials, and then in "Recipe for Disaster" it goes back up to eleven as he tries to
 * Aesop Amnesia: It seems like every other episode is Lion-O learning the same lesson about listening to his teammates and not doing his own thing without their input.
 * All of the Other Reindeer: Popular opinion in Thundera is Lion-O is a Cloudcuckoolander for his obsession with technology, a Category Traitor for his Lizard advocacy, a Cultural Rebel and a thoroughly Inadequate Inheritor when compared to his brother.
 * Always Save the Girl:
 * In "Recipe for Disaster"
 * Always Second Best: Though Lion-O is painfully aware of this already, his brother Tygra sees fit to loudly and explicitly inform Lion-O of this in front of a huge arena of people before roundly defeating him in a public sporting event.

"Lion-O: *as he realizes he'll be dragged skyward* Maybe this is a bad ide-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
 * Ancestral Weapon: The Sword of Omens, passed down from his father, is "the sword that built the Thundercats' empire"
 * Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance: Of course Lion-O's destined to master his Ancestral Weapon, a sword that Only the Chosen May Wield with accompanying Psychic Powers. His mane is a paler shade of its Power Crystal, his eyes, a paler shade of its cross-guard.
 * He also bears an uncanny resemblance to Leo, the original wielder of the Sword of Omens.
 * Audience Surrogate: The most frequent viewpoint character.
 * Bare-Fisted Monk: Acquits himself very well against all but the leader of a gang of Alley Cats while otherwise unarmed, but puts in a poorer showing while competing against his brother in the games.
 * Later puts in a much better showing against a rat slaver in "The Curse of Ratilla," and hammers Ratar-O himself with an impressive right hook in the same episode
 * Battle Cry: "Thunder... THUNDER... THUNDERCATS, HOOOOOOO!!!"
 * Bishonen
 * Black Sheep/White Sheep: Either way, Lion-O doesn't fit in with the royal family. He's simultaneously a Cloudcuckoolander techie in a family of Proud Warrior Race Guys and the Wide-Eyed Idealist in a family of Animal Jingoist Fantastic Racists.
 * Bodyguard Crush/Hot for Preacher: Lion-O has an obvious crush on Cheetara, his Church Militant Praetorian Guard.
 * Bully Hunter: Gradually becomes this, as he goes from incidentally fighting bullies in his hometown to actively asserting that predatory antagonists, like the Duelist, need to be taken down a peg.
 * By the Power of Grayskull:
 * His Battle Cry of "Thunder... THUNDER... THUNDERCATS, HOOOOOOO!!!" causes his Sword Of Omens to transform and turn from dagger to longsword unlocking its full combat potential, and projecting a Bat Signal of his royal emblem to summon allies.
 * The command "Sword of Omens, give me Sight Beyond Sight!" allows Lion-O to use the sword's Psychic Powers.
 * Catch Phrase/This Is Gonna Suck/Unusual Euphemism: "Whiskers," Lion-O's signature Once Per Episode phrase, quite possibly the least threatening curse ever.
 * Category Traitor: Lion-O's defense of the stockaded Lizard slaves and attempt at Shaming the Mob harassing them backfires spectacularly, stirring up the Powder Keg Crowd into demanding a full blown Public Execution and turning their Torches and Pitchforks on him, calling him "Lizard lover" and threatening to put him in the stocks themselves. Yes, everyone hates their crown prince and future king.
 * Came Back Strong:  He actually scares
 * The Chains of Commanding: Lion-O feels doubtful and insecure in his leadership from time to time, once wondering aloud "Maybe the sword chose wrong."
 * Character Development: Shortsighted and prone to alternately Hot-Blooded and well-meant impulsive decisions, Lion-O gradually learns through several missteps how to take a longer view and think before he acts. This is lampshaded when, atypically, he realizes a tactical error mere seconds after he's made it, firing a grapple at an angry Giant Flyer:

"Tygra: That's your problem. You look at Lizards and see victims. You look at junk and see mythical tech."
 * He later demonstrates long-term planning skills and more abstract thought while searching for the hidden Spirit Stone.
 * From "The Trials of Lion-O: Part 2" on he is far more mature and even-tempered, and makes full use of his tools and abilities.
 * In "Recipe for Disaster", he takes a much different approach with
 * Chekhov's Skill: Lion-O's much-ridiculed intense study of technology finally pays off when he figures out the user interface of a Black Box that he later
 * A Child Shall Lead Them: Lion-O is still young, and very green in his kingship.
 * The Chosen One: During a Rite of Passage, the Sword of Omens granted Lion-O a vision of the future, choosing him as the next king.
 * Cloudcuckoolander: His reputation among the Thunderians prior to Thundera's fall. Grune lampshades it, saying he "still [has] his head in the clouds." while Tygra has harsher words:

"Lion-O: I am so dead... But at least I have a girlfriend!"
 * Collector of the Strange: Actively seeks out Lost Technology, even if he has to turn to a Friend in the Black Market to get it.
 * Cool Sword: The Sword of Omens, naturally.
 * The Cuckoolander Was Right: Not that Lion-O feels much like gloating, since confirmation of Lost Technology's existence comes at a price, when the Lizards use it to destroy his kingdom. He even gets redeemed for his defense of the Lizards when one of them repays the favor..
 * Cultural Rebel: Who needs to learn about how Cats Are Superior or Might Makes Right when there are machines to tinker with? And it actually seems wrong that those Alley Cats are beating up that poor Dog...
 * Deadpan Snarker: He can get pretty snarky and often matches Tygra wit-for-wit. Most of his lines in "Legacy" are wry observations on the situation.
 * Determinator: Lion-O doesn't give up easily, which has both gotten him into trouble, and out of it.
 * Died in Your Arms Tonight: Lion-O holds his father while he dies..
 * Don't Call Me "Sir"!:
 * The Emperor/The Good King: King of Thundera, and Lord of the Thundercats, for what it's worth...
 * Establishing Character Moment: Lion-O is introduced sneaking cloaked and hooded into the worst part of Thundera's slums, only to catch the eye of a gang of "Alley Cat" muggers who've just finished beating a hapless Dog. He manages to fight most off but has to be bailed out by Cheetara, to whom he reveals his reasons for being there: to find rare and obscure pieces of "technology," which everyone else believes to be a myth.
 * Everyone Can See It: Towards Pumyra, except for Pumyra.
 * Every Device Is a Swiss Army Knife: Lion-O's Claw Gauntlet does quadruple duty as scabbard, gauntlet, grappling hook, and buckler.
 * Adding the various power stones can upgrade it into armor.
 * Face Palm: Lion-O from Tygra's actions when the latter.
 * Fatal Flaw: Pride and overestimation of his skills gets him into trouble, he also struggles with self-doubt.
 * It's actually discussed in "The Trials of Lion-O."
 * Father, I Don't Want to Fight: ...Lizards my people have spent generations oppressing and enslaving.
 * Fiery Redhead
 * "Friend or Idol?" Decision: In "Birth of the Blades," Lion-O is faced with a Sadistic Choice: Save Pumyra from falling to her death, or grab the Sword of Plun-Darr before Mumm-Ra can?
 * Genre Blindness: Lion-O sees a vision in the magic Sword of Omens, and Cannot Spit It Out, preferring to lie and claim he was distracted by two passing girls, since he assumes his father will think him a Cloudcuckoolander if he speaks up. Justified since Lion-O is selectively Culture Blind, neglecting his royal duties in favor of collecting and studying Lost Technology, a ridiculous hobby in a Magical Kingdom.
 * Grappling Hook Pistol: The Claw Gauntlet can fire the four fingers as anchors to surfaces.
 * Greater Need Than Mine: Lion-O will help others at great personal cost, this is what earns him 's Undying Loyalty in "Birth of the Blades" as he continues to fight for  even after.
 * Grew a Spine: Though a Cultural Rebel, Lion-O was reluctant to share his radicalism with anyone but Snarf, and exploits his image as a Cloudcuckoolander to avoid disclosing a vision he saw in the Sword of Omens. But after hearing that "Sight is useless without action," from Jaga, he makes a Sudden Principled Stand, faces down an Angry Mob and convinces his father to pardon two Lizard prisoners.
 * The Heart: Arguably to all of Thundera. Lion-O immediately steps up to defend anyone, regardless if they're seen as enemies or not, proclaiming, "No one deserves to be treated like that."
 * He will also help anyone in need and expect nothing in return, it earns a lot of friends.
 * The Hero
 * Heroic Sacrifice: One of his personality traits
 * Hero with Bad Publicity: The word "crazy" keeps popping up in discussions about what Thunderians think of Lion-O, to the point that he automatically anticipates this opinion from Cheetara.
 * Heroes Prefer Swords: The Sword of Omens is his Weapon of Choice.
 * He's Back: "The Trials of Lion-O: Part 2"
 * Honor Before Reason/Too Dumb to Live: Lion-O suffers a fit of this while grieving for his father, invoking a recently-learned Aesop about living life fully to justify acting on his culture's (and inferentially, his father's) motto that "Thundercats never retreat." This leads him to impulsively charge into a battle so one-sided his entire group would have died were it not for a Deus Ex Machina. Inverted when the Elephant Village gets taken hostage and opts for a stealth approach considering the hostage situation. Firmly averted after his Trials where he thinks before he acts and will sometimes allow things he doesn't like to happen if it means the success of the greater mission.
 * Hot-Blooded: The destruction of Thundera and murder of his father has a negative effect on Lion-O's control of his emotions, naturally. As the series progresses he pretty much grows out of it.
 * How Do I Shot Web?: Up until "Sight Beyond Sight" he has great difficulty using the titular ability. After learning to view "the big picture," as per instruction from various gurus, he gains perspective, and becomes more able to use the Sword of Omens' Psychic Powers.
 * Humble Hero: This works both for and against him, as his humility gives him great compassion, but also undermines his confidence when he needs it most.
 * I Did What I Had to Do: Spoken word-for-word in "The Pit" when trying to turn Pumyra.
 * Iconic Item: The Sword of Omens
 * Ignorant of Their Own Ignorance: While Lion-O is very right about the existence of Lost Technology, he initially dreamily romanticizes it, not realizing its potential as a Forgotten Superweapon until witnessing the destruction first-hand. It's also quite jarring to his Noble Bigot sensibilities when a Lizard informs him His Species Doth Protest Too Much.
 * In the Hood: Lion-O travels The City Narrows of Thundera in a dark blue cloak.
 * Inadequate Inheritor: Pretty much everyone agrees that Tygra would be a better king than Lion-O. He doesn't even get much praise from his father until right before his death.
 * Indy Ploy: He's getting very good at thinking on his feet and he pulls off a series of these in "Birth of the Blades."
 * Instant Expert: Despite only tinkering and playing with mostly broken and non-functional trinkets, Lion-O is remarkably quick to pick up the workings of technology, and has no trouble at all sailing two hi-tech airships.
 * Jerkass: For all of one episode due to his rage and hate blinding him to everything else. He gets better at the end.
 * Took a Level in Jerkass: After "Between Brothers" through the end of "The Trials of Lion-O" due to not getting the girl, though he pretty much had every right to be angry...
 * By "The Trials of Lion-O" and onward, he seems to have gotten better.
 * Kid Hero: At seventeen, he's the youngest of his fellow nobles. Panthro dryly lampshades their lack of "adult supervision" before his arrival.
 * Kid Samurai/Young Gun: In the Cattle Punk/Wutai Swordsmans' Town, Lion-O is swiftly pegged as this by the Drifter, who warns him off, and the Duelist, who exploits Lion-O's naiveté for all it's worth, goading him into a Showdown At High Noon.
 * Kindhearted Cat Lover: Or... whatever his pet Snarf is. Anyway, he loves him.
 * King Incognito: Lion-O has a habit of walking the slums disguised as a peasant.
 * Knight in Shining Armor: Oh so much, his outfit even seems to be based on a medieval knight's jousting armor.
 * Even more so during moments when shows obvious attraction to him for displaying these kinds of feats.
 * Last of His Kind: Lion-O is the last of the Lions, the Cats who constitute Thundera's royal bloodline.
 * The Leader: Of his Thundercats, much to Tygra's chagrin and Panthro's irritation (though Panthro does warm up, as does Tygra to some extent).
 * Leeroy Jenkins: Unlike many here, a genuine flaw of the Hot-Blooded young Lion-O, which Panthro has very little patience for.
 * Lonely Rich Kid: Despite being the prince, so far Lion-O's childhood looks like it may have been a pretty lonely one.
 * Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Lion-O's Claw Gauntlet serves as a buckler, in a pinch.
 * A Man Is Always Eager: He has no problem using his ancestor's relationship with fellow rebellion leader Panthera to score a makeout session
 * Last of His Kind: Lion-O is the last of the Lions, the Cats who constitute Thundera's royal bloodline.
 * The Leader: Of his Thundercats, much to Tygra's chagrin and Panthro's irritation (though Panthro does warm up, as does Tygra to some extent).
 * Leeroy Jenkins: Unlike many here, a genuine flaw of the Hot-Blooded young Lion-O, which Panthro has very little patience for.
 * Lonely Rich Kid: Despite being the prince, so far Lion-O's childhood looks like it may have been a pretty lonely one.
 * Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Lion-O's Claw Gauntlet serves as a buckler, in a pinch.
 * A Man Is Always Eager: He has no problem using his ancestor's relationship with fellow rebellion leader Panthera to score a makeout session
 * A Man Is Always Eager: He has no problem using his ancestor's relationship with fellow rebellion leader Panthera to score a makeout session

"Lion-O (in Sarcasm Mode): You're just so perfect, aren't you, Tygra? Tygra: Why, thank you, Lion-O!"
 * Subverted later with Pumyra, when she starts flirting with him he just looks confused and vaguely disturbed, probably because he has been burned in the past, but also because she tried to kill him only a few hours earlier.
 * Then played straight again when he starts trying to court, with his initial attempts proving...awkward.
 * Missing Mom: Lion-O's mother is nowhere to be seen.
 * Multiethnic Name: The "-O" suffix seems to be a reference to the "ō" in Japanese names and titles meaning "king."
 * So that means he's the Lion King?
 * Must Make Amends: He puts up with so much from Pumyra because he feels personally responsible for her suffering (and that of the other refugees).
 * My Species Doth Protest Too Much: After listening to a Lizard explain how the Cats' oppression gives him few options in life, Lion-O is much less enthusiastic about his culture's endorsement of Might Makes Right or Fantastic Racism.
 * Named Weapons: The Sword of Omens
 * Nice Guy: You could count the number of beings in the series who are half as decent as him.
 * Noble Bigot: Begins as a Fantastic Racist, shooing Produce Pelting kids away from the stockades, but presuming the Lizards therein are otherwise entirely deserving of punishment... until they proceed to argue the point.
 * Noble Fugitive: Breaking out of dungeons, running to MacGuffins, away from the Lizards.
 * Nobody Calls Me Chicken: Appeals to courage or implications of cowardice are a sore point with Lion-O, culturally and personally, especially if his conduct is compared to his father.
 * No Guy Wants an Amazon: Averted with Cheetara, who's easily his rival in combat.
 * Occult Blue Eyes: Blue-green eyes, a family trait he shares with his father, and part of the Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance that marks him as able to use the Sword of Omens' "Sight Beyond Sight".
 * Power Makes Your Voice Deep: Lion-O's voice gets deeper whenever he uses the Sword of Omens and shouts "ThunderCats, ho!"
 * The Power of Love: His affection for  and his desire to protect her end up allowing him to shoot blue lightning from the Sword of Omens for the first time.
 * A Protagonist Shall Lead Them: "For it was written that he would be born of fire, a king to lead his people to victory against ancient spirits of evil."
 * Rebel Prince: Reconstructed. It's made patently obvious early on that Lion-O really doesn't want to be king, but cannot pass it to anyone else as he was chosen by the Sword of Omens. It is the act of rebelling against his princely responsibilities that has put Lion-O in touch with the common slum-dwellers and Specific minorities, and connected him with Lost Technology, making him Thundera's Wise Prince.
 * Redheaded Hero
 * Reluctant Ruler: Initially Lion-O didn't want to be king and felt like he was being pushed into a life meant for someone else. Later he comes to accept his position and the responsibility that comes with it.
 * Requisite Royal Regalia: Lion-O wears a much less elaborate version of the cuirass and belt-mounted cabochon sported by his father.
 * The Resenter: Inverted. Lion-O is the hero of the narrative, but not of Thundera's people. They adore Tygra, and think of him as their ideal leader, while Lion-O is The Wrongful Heir to the Throne. Lion-O loathes this state of affairs.

"Pumyra: "Aren't we supposed to be collecting firewood?" Lion-O: "... Oh! Yeah! I, uh, heheh... I didn't just walk you out here to get you alone... ahahah... ahem...""
 * Retractable Weapon: The Sword of Omens retracts to dagger length for stowing inside it's scabbard, Lion-O's Claw Gauntlet. It extends fully when Lion-O performs his By the Power of Grayskull.
 * Revenge Before Reason: Hits this hard in "Ramlak Rising", choosing to disobey Jaga's demand that he find the Book of Omens in favor of hunting down Mumm-Ra, though his encounter with the similarly motivated Captain Tunar causes him to rethink his priorities.
 * Royal Blood: Lion-O is a Lion, which automatically confers the right to rule.
 * Royals Who Actually Do Something: Initially deconstructed, as Lion-O's hobbies, opinions and jaunts to the slums are seen as evidence that he's The Wrongful Heir to the Throne. Lion-O's Lizard advocacy even causes Claudus to label him an Unwitting Instigator of Doom when the Lizards invade, denying him the chance to join Claudus and Tygra on the battlefield. Then Lion-O takes matters into his own hands.
 * Seer: As The Chosen One, only Lion-O can use the Sword of Omens' "Sight Beyond Sight" to see visions of the future, hidden or far off objects, or metaphysical locations.
 * Shonen Hair: To be expected, as this reboot takes a nod from anime.
 * Skilled but Naive/Unskilled but Strong: Lion-O's weakness in technique with the Sword of Omens is that he prefers a straightforward, purely offensive barrage that relies on momentum and power, very effective in a large battlefield melee, but useless when opponents have guile and space enough to maneuver. The Drifter notes this, and instructs him in defensive evasion. This improves his technique greatly, but later episodes show that he can still be overpowered by opponents who are just plain physically stronger than him.
 * Socially Awkward Hero: . Notably he was perfectly able to
 * Stalker with a Crush: Played straight for laughs with questionable usage of love potion in "Recipe for Disaster."
 * Still the Leader: Initially did not take Panthro's assertive Bald Black Leader Guy role well, despite being out of his depth during their shared mission. In a fit of pique, Lion-O pulled a Leeroy Jenkins that required Panthro's intervention, but Lion-O soon earned his respect and deference when he proved an effective wielder of the Sword of Omens. He also has to deal with Tygra  constantly questioning and criticizing his decisions, even after he starts making decent ones.
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial: Doubles as That Came Out Wrong.

"Pumyra: Is that supposed to be for me? Lion-O: This? No! Yes... I-I just thought it smelled nice..."
 * And later he attempts to give her a flower:

"Lion-O: Lemme take a look I'm sure it's just-- (sees her swelled face and wheezes)! Pumyra: What? Lion-O: Nothing! It's fine, you can barely tell!"
 * Later still when she has an allergic reaction to the same flower:


 * Surrogate Soliloquy: Lion-O makes a habit of using his Empathy Pet Snarf as a sounding-board for his thoughts.
 * Sword Beam: Lion-O can use the Sword of Omens to unleash surges of electricity; more often, however, this takes the form of a power scarlet energy beam fired from the Eye of Thundera set in the hilt.
 * Took a Level in Badass: The point of the Trials, not only to test his skills, but to force him to confront things about himself he doesn't like and hold him back.
 * The Unfavourite: His father much prefers his adoptive older brother Tygra.
 * Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Lion-O gets accused of this when the Lizards invade, with Claudus convinced that the Lizard invasion was accelerated by a show of weakness when they pardoned the Lizard scavengers. He's sidelined, forbidden to join Tygra and Claudus on the battlefield.
 * Warrior Prince: Even before his kingship, could hold his own as a Bare-Fisted Monk.
 * Whole Costume Reference: To the original, with some tweaks.
 * Wide-Eyed Idealist
 * The Wise Prince: In stark contrast to his 80's Idiot Hero counterpart, Lion-O is very much a "bigger picture" kind of guy and rather than destroying his enemies would rather convert them to his side. However he does have his moments due to inexperience. This is more pronounced after his trials where he is more mature and level-headed, and sticks to his principles like glue.
 * Would Hit a Girl: He decked a female Catfolk mugger right in the face without a blink in the slums. In Thundera, strength matters above all else.
 * Subverted in his fight with Pumyra, but had nothing to do with her being a girl, he won't fight another cat pure and simple.
 * The Wrongful Heir to the Throne: So universally held is this opinion that Lion-O gets to hear from both Grune and Tygra how good a king Tygra would be, with Tygra outright claiming (only as a joke, of course) that he'd be better than Lion-O. It's so blatant even his father comes to his defense. He even worries about this himself, once pondering "Maybe the sword chose wrong..."
 * Lion-O's subconscious belief that this is true is so strong that he
 * You Are Worth Hell:
 * In "The Pit"
 * Youngest Child Wins: Despite being the younger, it is Lion-O who is first in line for the throne, because he is of the Lion bloodline, and because he was chosen by the Sword of Omens.
 * Zombie Advocate: Lion-O defends Lizards from a Vigilante Execution by an Angry Mob, which is seen as absurd by both the mob and his father.
 * He does it again when he spares the rat Mordax from being killed by Pumyra.

Tygra
"Voiced by: Matthew Mercer"

Tygra is the adoptive brother of Lion-O and has an active Sibling Rivalry against him, since he's often more skilled and resents his younger sibling's position as crown prince. He can be cocky and arrogant at times, and flirtatious as well.

Tropes associated with Tygra:

 * 24-Hour Armor: Acquires a set after the siege of Thundera.
 * Adorkable: When he was younger, as revealed through a flashback to when he met Cheetara. He certainly wasn't as much of The Charmer as he is now.
 * Aloof Big Brother: At his worst, Tygra expresses utter disdain for his brother's idealism and dabblings in Lost Technology. He softened on the latter when said technology was revealed to be real.
 * Always Second Best: Tygra tries to be Always Someone Better because of a deep Inferiority Superiority Complex, and an abiding suspicion that as a mere Spare to the Throne, he will forever lose to Lion-O, a motivation underscored when Tygra bitterly rants about how Lion-O's taken away both his chance to wear the crown, and, he suspects, his chance to romance Cheetara, the Love Interest of their Sibling Triangle.
 * Always Someone Better: Tygra actively invokes this whenever able, out of a need to feel superior due to his resentment at being out of the chain of succession. He loves to show up his younger brother, and makes a point of "jokingly" telling his father with Lion-O in earshot, "I just would have been a better [king]."
 * Bare-Fisted Monk: Is quite capable unarmed, soundly defeating his brother in Thundera's games.
 * Big Brother Instinct: Despite all this, when Lion-O is in real trouble, Tygra supports and fights with him.
 * Big Brother Mentor: During shared reminiscences of their father Claudus, Tygra drops his usual resentful critiques when Lion-O expresses genuine insecurities at leading, telling him to believe in himself. This moment of bonding is brief, and Tygra's back to needling him a short while later.
 * Bishonen
 * Blue Blood
 * Broken Ace: Tygra is better than Lion-O. At everything. He's older, more skilled at fighting, more knowlegeable in military tactics, more popular with their people, father's favorite, and The Dutiful Son, but to his great resentment, his flaky Cloudcuckoolander kid brother gets to be The Chosen One and the king by dint of Royal Blood alone, and even gets attention from Cheetara, whom Tygra has pined for from afar.
 * Brown Eyes: Prone to winking.
 * Butt Monkey: After the Trials force Lion-O's Character Development to stick Tygra takes over whenever a character needs to be abused.
 * The Charmer: Tygra, who openly flirts with one of the clerics (actually Cheetara), during Lion-O's Rite of Passage, to Lion-O's shock.
 * The Chosen One:
 * Compassionate Critic: Towards his brother Lion-O, frequently criticizing his many deficiencies and failure to conform to Thunderian culture and their father's expectations.
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * The Dutiful Son: And he knows it.
 * First Guy Wins:.
 * Green-Eyed Monster: It's pretty obvious that he's extremely jealous of both his brother's position as leader, and Cheetara's apparent romantic interest in him.
 * Happily Adopted/Spare to the Throne: Tygra is an adopted member of the royal family, and the beneficiary of Claudus' Parental Favoritism. This development grew out of the original series' assertion that if anything should happen to Lion-O, Tygra would be next in line as ruler.
 * Honor Before Reason: "Thundercats never retreat!" Tygra complains when Lion-O orders him to do so. Later Lion-O takes the criticism to heart, getting them all into trouble.
 * Hot for Preacher: Tygra openly flirted with a Cleric in Full-Body Disguise. She turned out to be Cheetara, on whom he has a longstanding crush.
 * Hypocritical Humor: May not have been intentional by the creators, but for someone whose refused to admit technology existed, having a blaster as a weapon is kind of funny.
 * Improbable Aiming Skills: He's a superb shot for having never seen anything like a gun before in his life. Justified, since laser guns have no recoil, it's a matter of point-and-shoot.
 * Instant Expert: After proclaiming technology a myth his entire life, he used a pistol for the first time during the invasion and now relies on it more than his whip.
 * Invisibility Cloak: Tygra can become temporarily invisible with the aid of his whip.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Tygra loves to rub it in Lion-O's face that he's better then him "when it comes to everything except the crown," but his Big Brother Instinct comes through in the clutch, and he plainly states "I've got his back." to an Angry Mob Lion-O has challenged to Go Through Me.
 * The "gold" part is what allows Tygra to
 * Jerkass: Was the jealous type to Lion-O concerning Cheetara, which then escalated in "Between Brothers" when fighting Lion-O in a jealous rage while ranting about how he supposedly "took everything from him".
 * In "Recipe for Disaster", Tygra told the others that Lion-O and Pumyra were out gathering firewood, then casually says . Not cool, man...
 * The Lancer: Argumentative, snarky second to Lion-O's leader.
 * Love Hurts: The look on his face when . However, this later leads to...
 * Missing Mom:
 * Moses in the Bulrushes: He ended up in Thundera in a hot air balloon.
 * Multicolored Hair: White, orange brown and black striped.
 * Noble Bigot: He's internalized his culture's Fantastic Racism, since he is fairly dismissive of a Lizard prisoner's Screw You, Elves speech and sees little problem with the Lizards being lynched. Still, given the choice, he's willing to help his brother defend them. He's also readily amenable to taking on the Thunderkittens, who are of a lesser caste than he is.
 * Noble Fugitive: Like his brother, escaped the captivity of the Lizards.
 * Now or Never Kiss:
 * Out-of-Character Moment: Done very hilariously in "Recipe for Disaster" when he accidentally drinks a love potion, and LOOKED AT LION-O FIRST. Tygra began to act all giddy and happy, and commenting on how Lion-O is, and I quote: "...the bestest little brother a big brother ever had!" much to Lion-O's embarrassment..
 * Parental Abandonment: See Moses in the Bulrushes, Missing Mom and
 * Power of Love: cynical Tygra faces this lesson repeatedly. His capacity for this allows him to break and survive more than one curse. Lampshaded with sweeping orchestral music in "The Curse of Ratilla."
 * Pride: The recurring flaw in his clan's line.
 * Ray Gun
 * The Resenter: The driving force behind his Sibling Rivalry with his brother is his resentment of Lion-O's right of succession by bloodline. Adding fuel to the fire is their Sibling Triangle with Cheetara.
 * The Rival: Quite naturally plays this role to his brother in the course of their Sibling Rivalry, until throwing in with him when Lion-O faces down an Angry Mob, at which point he becomes a particularly testy Lancer.
 * Royals Who Actually Do Something: Can win sporting competitions, hold back Angry Mobs with his whip, and battle evil with the best of them.
 * Sarcastic Devotee: Often snarkily questions Lion-O's leadership.
 * Snark Knight: Tygra's cynicism and perfectionism
 * Stalker with a Crush: Downplayed. As a boy, he developed a habit of watching a young Cheetara from afar, too shy to strike up a conversation.
 * Tall, Dark and Snarky: When not under the influence of love potion
 * Throw the Dog a Bone: Tygra spends 13 episodes watching how his younger brother steals his thunder (Although to be fair, he gave as good as he got), his right to the throne and even the woman he has loved since he was a little boy. To twist the knife on the injury, Tygra cannot get himself to get rid of Lion-O, even if he gets two perfect chances to do it and continues supporting him out of loyalty and brotherly love.
 * Tragic Keepsake:
 * The Unchosen One: He was passed over in favor of Lion-O as heir to the throne. Part of this is because despite being the elder he's adopted and thus not of the royal bloodline, but also because the Sword of Omens itself chose Lion-O, and he can't understand why.
 * Undying Loyalty:
 * Unexpected Successor: After, Tygra is hastily made the leader to beat Mumm-ra and his armies. Despite all his bragging that he'd make a better king than Lion-O, Tygra finds himself unable to lead the other Thundercats efficiently because of their situation and that he couldn't handle the pressure. He soon began to wonder how Lion-O was able to take on the roles of leader on a daily basis despite the situations.
 * Warrior Prince: Is chosen over his brother to join his father on the battlefield during the siege of Thundera.
 * Whip And Gun
 * Whip It Good: Tygra's Weapon of Choice.
 * Wrestler in All of Us: Takes out a Lizard mook in "Into the Astral Plane" by sneaking up behind him and then suplexing him.
 * Warrior Prince: Is chosen over his brother to join his father on the battlefield during the siege of Thundera.
 * Whip And Gun
 * Whip It Good: Tygra's Weapon of Choice.
 * Wrestler in All of Us: Takes out a Lizard mook in "Into the Astral Plane" by sneaking up behind him and then suplexing him.
 * Wrestler in All of Us: Takes out a Lizard mook in "Into the Astral Plane" by sneaking up behind him and then suplexing him.

Panthro
"Voiced by: Kevin Michael Richardson"

Panthro is one of Claudus' most loyal soldiers. He was sent with his friend Grune to find the Book of Omens. Though he questioned Lion-O's ability to lead, Panthro eventually accepted him as the new king.

Tropes associated with Panthro:
"Wilykat: Busted! Wilykit: Panthro's a big ol' softy! Panthro: *Death Glare* Is that a problem? Wilykit: *stiffens nervously* Nope. Wilykat: It's cool."
 * An Arm and a Leg: Type 2. Panthro lost both of his arms,
 * Authority Equals Asskicking: Quite capably fells multiple Lizards in one blow. (and temporarily pulls rank on Lion-O for agitating these Lizards.)
 * Badass: According to Michael Jelenic: Panthro is "a pretty cool character, just like on the old show." He repeatedly mows through multiple foes with ease, whether in his personal tank, or toe-to-toe against a group of lizards while armed with only one nunchaku.
 * Badass Driver: Of his Thundertank. He's even up for the occassional game of chicken.
 * Bald Black Leader Guy: Plays this straight when he initially joins the Thundercats, insistant that they prove their worth, no matter how much Lion-O objects.
 * Bald of Awesome: Done to evoke the sakayaki tonsure of an old Samurai, complete with topknot.
 * The Big Guy: Class 1 and 5, A gruff Old Soldier who's a Genius Bruiser. "I thought he'd be smaller..." notes an intimidated Lion-O.
 * Breaking the Bonds: In "The Soul Sever"
 * Brown Eyes
 * Bruiser with a Soft Center: Panthro gradually warms up to the Ro-Bear Berbils. When he openly hugs his new friend Ro-Bear Bill, and is witnessed by the team's Tagalong Kids, this exchange occurs:


 * The Captain: A Downplayed element of his Backstory, seen as a stepping stone on his way to becoming a general.
 * Car Fu: Rather tank fu with the Thundertank. He tried this on  when the ammunition didn't work..
 * Chekhov MIA: Considering his presence in the promotional material and the lying, teasing showrunners, this is no great surprise.
 * Covered with Scars: He has a ton of scars, presumably from a life of fighting for Thundera.
 * Defrosting Ice King: Upon meeting the Ro-Bear Berbils, Panthro immediately announces that he doesn't trust anything this adorable. He is deeply flustered when they heap praise and affection on him after he saves the life of Ro-Bear Bill. When the Berbils show thanks for his help by replacing the Thundertank's engine? Panthro bursts into Manly Tears.
 * Dull Eye of Unhappiness: Justified, as Panthro has suffered an injury to his right eye, severe enough to cause glaucoma and scar the surrounding flesh.
 * Every Scar Has a Story: Panthro comments that there was "a lot of history" in the scars on his arms, which is what he misses the most after sacrificing them
 * Everything's Better with Samurai: Thundera is in Medieval Stasis and full of Space Romans, so why does Panthro sport a Samurai's sakayaki and chonmage? Because he's cool, that's why.
 * Expy: Basically a furry Jet.
 * Eyepatch of Power: Notably Subverted, Panthro's scarred and damaged eye is unconcealed, but still marks him as a seasoned veteran and Badass.
 * Eyes Are Unbreakable: Averted: The scar that goes across his eye clearly caused some damage, as the iris is dull and matte, with no pupil.
 * Fantastic Caste System: A Flash Back to his youth shows he used to have a tail, marking him as lower-class, but he is now Inexplicably Tailless.
 * Fighting with Chucks: With sculpted cat claws on the outer end of each stick.
 * Four-Star Badass: One of Claudus' most trusted generals.
 * Furry Baldness: The "baldness" is his grey-blue base coat, while his remaining "hair" is black.
 * Genius Bruiser: The real techy of the bunch, a tank who owns and maintains a tank.
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars: Panthro's are typically heroic, relatively neat diagonal slashes: a small "x" mark on the left shoulder, a large gash on the right, and a huge slash across his right pectoral. The vertical scar on his right eye, while neat and aesthetic, is atypical in that it doesn't leave his eye undamaged.
 * Handicapped Badass: His nasty glaucoma doesn't seem to stop him.
 * Heroic Build: Wouldn't be The Big Guy without it
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With Grune, in Flashbacks. It ended badly.
 * Horrible Judge of Character: Young Panthro, your best friend Grune's frequent asides about how the both of you are going to run Thundera someday are not the examples of jocular hyperbole you seem to think they are.
 * Hotblooded Sideburns: A most prodigious set.
 * Inexplicably Tailless: In youth he had a tail, but now he doesn't. No word yet as to why, but much speculation.
 * Intergenerational Friendship: Developing with his much younger teammates.
 * Knight in Sour Armor/Sour Supporter: Very much a cynic, compared to his youngers, but still joins in the fight.
 * Macross Missile Massacre: After its upgrades, the Thundertank can launch a swarm of missiles.
 * Mismatched Eyes: Panthro's injured eye is depicted as ranging from a pale brown to pale red in color, in comparison to the deep brown of the uninjured one.
 * Mythology Gag: His younger self looks almost exactly like his 80's character design (minus the tail, of course.)
 * Old Soldier: He was a veteran soldier back when Lion-O and Tygra were still around the ThunderKittens' age.
 * Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: Quite literally, as Grune liberally lathered the Death Notification with vague Half Truths to mask his own betrayal. Also applies out-of-universe, thanks to blatantly Lying Creators.
 * Revenge Before Reason: Sacrifices to defeat Grune. Damn, man!
 * Scars Are Forever: Panthro's racked up a few, all noticeably paler than his fur.
 * Scary Black Man: Initially for the other Thundercats.
 * Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Trailer: He was completely absent from all the official and unofficial trailers. His first proper appearance is saved for the final moments of "Song of The Petalars."
 * The Sixth Ranger: Something of a subversion, as he was always a part of the team in the original show. Since he was presumed dead at first this time around (until he showed up at the end of "Song of the Petalars"), the trope still applies.
 * Slasher Smile: Gets one of these when he goes head to head with the Conqedor's vehicle, wanting to test out what his new and improved Thundertank is really capable of.
 * The Smart Guy: He's one of the few Thunderians who has a functional knowledge of technology and knows how to operate and repair many different kinds of devices.
 * Spikes of Villainy: Inverted, Panthro is heroic, but the intimidation factor is there. A nervous Cheetara says "I thought he'd be less spiky."
 * Tank Goodness: Owner and pilot of the Thunder Tank
 * Team Dad: In the episode after his debut, he even wonders how the rest of the Thundercats lasted so long without adult supervision.
 * Walking Shirtless Scene: Now if only Lion-O or Tygra (or Cheetara) would follow his lead...
 * Warts and All: The Thundercats must square with the idea that Panthro is a cynic and a Sour Supporter who considers them a Ragtag Bunch of Misfits, from whom he demands respect rather than being automatically loyal to them.
 * Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: In a Temple of Doom Panthro is visibly freaked out when a Death Trap chamber they're in starts
 * X Marks the Hero: One of Panthro's many scars is an x on his left shoulder.
 * Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: In a Temple of Doom Panthro is visibly freaked out when a Death Trap chamber they're in starts
 * X Marks the Hero: One of Panthro's many scars is an x on his left shoulder.

Cheetara
"Voiced by: Emmanuelle Chriqui"

Cheetara is one of Jaga's Clerics. As a Cleric, she's gifted with Super Speed. She wields a staff in battle, but is also adept at fighting unarmed.

Tropes associated with Cheetara:

 * Action Girl
 * Badass: Even more than Lion-O and Tygra.
 * Bare Your Midriff: Thank-you!
 * Boobs of Steel: Being one of the adult females in the group. Able to dispatch tall mechs, mooks, and magic curses in a single bound. Praetorian Guard for Lion-O.
 * The Champion: Sticks up for Lion-O for ill (defending his brash tactics) and for good (demanding that others be patient and have faith in his potential)
 * The Chick: Reconstructed with depth. A Lightning Bruiser Praetorian Guard, Cheetara also plays the role of "spiritual female peacekeeper" straight as both an actual priest and the group's conflict mediator. Though much of this consists of championing Lion-O, she also occasionally sides with Tygra, once joining him in trying to talk Lion-O down from a vengeful rage, and in another instance, explaining to Lion-O why Tygra is The Resenter.
 * Church Militant: A member of Jaga's Clerics - the Guardians of the Crown.
 * Custom Uniform of Sexy: Wears...less than her fellow cats. Justified as her light gear is compatible with her super speed.
 * The Empath: Cheetara is able to discern presence and the mood of spirits inhabiting the forest of Magi Oar.
 * Forgot About Her Powers: Cheetara has a tendency to not use her Super Speed or Magic Staff's powers, which could allow her to instantly win most fights.
 * Good Shepherd: Often serves as Lion-O's counselor
 * The Heart: Motherly and kind, never losing her cool or compassion.
 * Hot Amazon: She's badass and Lion-O and Tygra have no problem with that.
 * I Didn't Mean to Turn You On:
 * Idiot Hair: Averted, she has a bit of a cowlick but is otherwise intelligent, save for her Forgot About Her Powers moments.
 * Ignorant of Their Own Ignorance/Unreliable Narrator: As a Cleric, she explains the history of the Book of Omens and the reasons for its being secreted away. Though its clearly what she's been told, it turns out to be fairly inaccurate, as much from poor understanding of the past as her Order's secretive nature.
 * King Incognito: Or rather Praetorian Guard Incognito. In a reversal of Lion-O's circumstances, all she need do is remove her Cleric's uniform to dutifully shadow the wandering Lion-O without his knowing.
 * Lady of War
 * Last of Her Kind: The Sole Survivor of her order.
 * Lightning Bruiser: She's a better fighter than both Tygra and Lion-O, with the bonus of Super Speed.
 * Duty First, Love Second:
 * Love or King Decision: She had to make a choice between helping Lion-O fight
 * Magic Knight: According to her character page on the official website, Jaga's training has made her just as adept at magic as she is at combat.
 * Magic Staff: Her new weapon, courtesy of . Couple this with the above trope and she is bound to be an even more amazing combatant.
 * Master of the Mixed Message: Towards Lion-O, fueling his crush.
 * Memento MacGuffin: The flower she got from Tygra when she was just a little girl and still carries around. The flower is actually plot and character important, however, as it is revealed that Tygra's act of kindness (without mentioning the nutritive value of the flower's petals) allowed Cheetara to endure her test of patience and ultimately become the woman she is now.
 * Mr. Exposition: When Jaga's unavailable, Cheetara explains things to her fellow Thundercats.
 * Ms. Fanservice: Her model sheets show that her top does zip up all the way to her neck, she just doesn't bother to do it. You baaaaad kitty.
 * She also gets a little bit of Male Gaze (though only with the camera so far).
 * Doesn't hurt that she's voiced by a very deserving former AskMen.com Most Desirable Woman.
 * Multicolored Hair: A Power Blonde with dark brown spotting.
 * Mysterious Protector: To Lion-O, quietly shadowing him as he sneaks off to Thundera's slums, stepping in only when he's headlocked by one more mugger than he can handle, and popping up again when he needs help against an Angry Mob.
 * Oblivious to Love: If she knows about either of the brothers' feelings, (or their active conflict) she ain't saying.
 * Parental Abandonment: One of the reasons she became a Cleric is because she had no family to turn to.
 * Protectorate: Lion-O, naturally.
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning: Averted, Cheetara is established good from the start, despite her eye color.
 * Retractable Weapon: Cheetara's Simple Staff retracts for easy storage.
 * Sexy Mentor: Lion-O's mind tends to be... elsewhere when Cheetara is providing guidance.
 * Sexy Priest: Tygra even tips her a wink when she's sporting her vestments, a Full-Body Disguise that leaves only her eyes visible. Justified because Tygra probably knew it was Cheetara based solely on her eyes.
 * Shonen Upgrade: After her staff gets broken, she receives a replacement made from the wood of a magical forest.
 * Simple Staff: Her weapon, along with her fellow Clerics.
 * Statuesque Stunner: Consistently shown to be taller than Lion-O and Tygra, and until Panthro joined she was the tallest member of the Pride.
 * Super Reflexes: Part of her Super Speed. Cheetara uses it to get through a room of whirling blades in a Temple of Doom.
 * Super Speed: And apparently, without the handicap of the original Cheetara. Prone to Forgot About His Powers though.
 * Team Mom: Yeah, still.
 * Zig-zagged in "Survival of the Fittest." When left with the kids,
 * Undying Loyalty: She was the first Thundercat to have complete faith in Lion-O.
 * Weapon of Choice: Her Cleric's Simple Staff. Lampshaded when it gets broken: "I loved that staff!" Later gets a Magic Staff.
 * What the Hell, Hero?:
 * Wrecked Weapon: Loses her Cleric's staff when it breaks in the jaws of Viragor.

The Thunderkittens
"Voiced by: Madeleine Hall (Wilykit) and Eamon Pirruccello (Wilykat)"

The Thunderkittens Wilykit and Wilykat start out as homeless pickpockets and beggars living in the slums. After the destruction of Thundera leaves them with nowhere else to go, they elect to tag along with Lion-O's party, for better or for worse.

Tropes associated with the Thunderkittens:

 * The Artful Dodger: Though they both dream of wealth and comfort, they're generally remarkably good at surviving Thundera's slums with a cheerful outlook and an arsenal of tricks.
 * Badass Adorable: Amongst their feats, the Thunderkittens have outwitted a Giant by dosing themselves with a fruit that induces Caffeine Bullet Time and leading him straight into carefully laid tripwire.
 * Bare Your Midriff: Wilykit. Since her age is in the single digits, the usual Fan Service is (hopefully) averted.
 * Beware the Nice Ones: They are kind, cheerful, intelligent children who are not to be underestimated.
 * Big Eater: They can eat a LOT.
 * Brother-Sister Team
 * Cat Smile: Other than Snarf they're the only ones who do it.
 * Cheerful Children: They're remarkably optimistic, despite having grown up in the slums of The Empire.
 * Cute Kitten/Deliberately Cute Child: They purposely invoke this to convince Lion-O to take them along, Cat Smile, Faux Paw and cute meowing included. In general, they overplay their cuteness to manipulate others.
 * Delinquent Hair: Wilykit's purple Skunk Stripe
 * Ears as Hair: By Word of God, most of what was previously believed to be their hair is, in fact, their ears. Yes, this means that Wilykit [[media:wileykitears_1440.jpg|ties hers back]].
 * Fantastic Caste System: Word of God states there are two types of cat-people in Thundera, those who don't have tails and those who do. Those who don't are Thundera's elite, those who do are consigned to poverty. The Thunderkittens, having tails, are introduced as Artful Dodgers in Thundera's slums.
 * Fashionable Asymmetry: Wilykit's outfit lacks a sleeve, and both twins wear only one...
 * Fingerless Glove
 * Five-Finger Discount: How the twins survive in the slums.
 * Genre Savvy:
 * Employ Obfuscating Stupidity against a Fish Man who plans to eat them, just so they can get a free meal while he "stuffs" them.
 * Also, when the Thundercats were facing a Booby Trap spike pit already triggered by using a wrong key in a Lock and Key Puzzle, they shrugged off the problem and, Stating the Simple Solution,
 * Grappling Hook Pistol/Razor Floss/Variable-Length Chain: Wilykat has a primative version of a grappling hook pistol in his flink, a thin cord with a small grapple on the end, attached to a reel.
 * Hazel Eyes
 * Hover Board: The kittens are eventually given a pair by the Ro-Bear Berbils.
 * Idiot Ball: Normally Wise Beyond Their Years, Genre Savvy Kit
 * Idiot Hair: Wilykat has a high-standing forelock
 * Infant Immortality: They start the series by being two of the few survivors of Thundera, right after an emergency shelter was destroyed, killing everyone inside.
 * Kid Appeal Character: A combination of types 1 and 3, Clowns and Ankle-biters. As Artful Dodgers, teasing, trickery, pranks and theft are their forms of attack.
 * Little Miss Con Artist: Wilykit, in her role as a Street Musician.
 * Lovable Rogue: Though skilled thieves who have little problem with nicking whatever they need to survive, they have standards. They prefer to target jerks to start with, and don't want to hurt anyone or anything who hasn't tried to harm them or others.
 * "Survival of the Fittest" provides backstory on this.
 * Magical Flautist: Posing as an innocuous Street Musician, Wilykit uses her flute music to put people into a trance while her brother steals from them.
 * Multicolored Hair: Wilykat's is white and light brown with a dark brown high forelock. Wilykit's is red with a purple Skunk Stripe.
 * Mythology Gag/Whole Costume Reference: Dressed in beggars' rags, the Thunderkittens must steal new clothes from some pillaging Lizards, which are modeled after their original series' outfits.
 * Non-Identical Twins: Avoid being Half-Identical Twins purely through their different coloring and slightly different builds.
 * Obfuscating Stupidity: They're well aware that the Fish Man cook was stuffing them to later kill and cook them, they were just playing dumb to get a good meal out of it before making their escape.
 * Plucky Comic Relief: Share this role with Snarf.
 * The Power of Trust: Wilykit in "Trials of Lion-o". She never stopped believing that Lion-o would eventually rescue them . Hell, she beat out Cheetara in that regard.
 * The Runaway: a particular case in that the two kittens had a loving family.
 * Running on All Fours: They sometimes do this; their tails clearly provide balance.
 * The Roper: Wilykat flags down marks to pitch his sister's music to.
 * Sticky Fingers: They may usually be Genre Savvy, but when they see gold in a Temple of Doom, they just can't help themselves.
 * Street Musician/Wandering Minstrel: Outside of her con-artistry, Wilykit is perfectly adept at playing her flute recreationally, amusing herself in Thundera's ruins and "playing off" the Petalars as they bid the Thundercats a happy goodbye.
 * Street Urchins: Rudely referred to as such by a Lower Class Lout they promptly rob blind. In their less savvy days, they did indeed fit the description.
 * Tagalong Kid: Both of them.
 * Theme Twin Naming: Of the one-letter difference variety.
 * Tomboyish Ponytail: Wilykit, to go along with her tomboyish voice.
 * Treasure Map: The twins are looking for a map to El Dara, a city full of treasure.
 * Trickster Twins: Experienced shysters both.
 * Undying Loyalty: Kit is extremely loyal to Lion-o to the point of refusing to believe he was truly gone.
 * You Leave Him Alone: Wilykit - "No one touches my friend!"
 * Weapon of Choice: Wilykit has her flute, Wilykat his flink
 * Wide Eyes and Shrunken Irises: When sugar-high. It makes them look positively manic.
 * Xenophone: Wilykit's flute is a white ring-shaped device.

Pumyra
"Voiced by: Pamela Adlon"

A refugee forced to fight as a gladiator in a city of dogs. She is initially very hostile towards Lion-O. but is slowly warming up to him. As a member of the team, Pumyra specializes in ranged combat with her wrist-mounted crossbow, and is quite agile.

Tropes associated with Pumyra:
"Pumyra: (Looking at him with a playful smirk) "Maybe it's time you move on to someone else." (Cue flustered double-take by Lion-O)."
 * Action Girl: The Technical Pacifist from the first series is nowhere to be seen here. This time, Pumyra hands out butt-kicking in spades.
 * All Amazons Want Hercules: Not in the sense that she wants to be dominated by a stronger male, but that she is drawn to a male who can protect and defend her from harm.
 * Angel Face, Demon Face: In her first appearance she's angry and resentful so her design is more harsh and jagged, but as she calms down and gets to know Lion-O more her design softens to be a bit more cute and classically beautiful.
 * The Archer: Wears a wrist-mounted, collapsible crossbow from which she fires small pellets with incredible accuracy, and enough force to push back an opponent when fired in a barrage.
 * Ascended Extra: One of the least-developed characters in the old show, the producers have confirmed that she plays a bigger part this time and has multiple episodes written around her.
 * Badass: She's fought against opponents much larger than herself while she was a gladiatrix slave and remained undefeated.
 * Barefoot Cartoon Animal/Does Not Like Shoes: More than the other cats, anyway. Unlike the other Thundercats, who wear some type of footwear, Pumyra does not. Could be her preference or from her time as a slave. She doesn't even wear the spat-like thingies other cats have.
 * Foot Focus: "The Pit" and "Curse of Ratilla" included close-ups of her ankles, and "Recipe for Disaster" has a shot of her soles as she runs away.
 * Big Ol' Eyebrows: They actually wrap around her face and connect to her facial markings to form...
 * Hotblooded Sideburns
 * Boobs of Steel: As one of the adult females in the group and a fierce warrior, this applies. It's not as obvious because Pumyra's dress covers more than Cheetara's top does (and because she's not quite as busty as her), but it's still there.
 * Broken Bird: Has some shades of this, if her initial reaction to Lion-O in "The Pit" and her rage at her former captors in "The Curse of Ratilla" is anything to go by. Subverted, however, in that she seems to be getting better through her interactions with Lion-O.
 * Character Development: When we first meet Pumyra, she has nothing but scathing revilement for Lion-O, who she thinks abandoned his people. Over the course of her debut episodes and the ones that follow, she develops growing respect and affection for the young king as he proves his worth and devotion to her.
 * Complaining About Rescues They Don't Like: She gets Lion-O captured when he tries to sneak her out because she (loudly) insists he get away from her.
 * Defeat Means Friendship: Inverted. She's the one who defeats Lion-O, but he wins her over specifically because he refused to fight against his own kind.
 * Defrosting Ice Queen: Pumyra's been hardened and embittered from her life as a slave. Her interactions with Lion-O slowly break that down.
 * Determinator: Pumyra vowed to win her freedom from the Pit by winning a set amount of battles despite most of said matches not clearly being in her favor.
 * Damsel in Distress: Fantastic classical symbolism with Pumyra being
 * Era Specific Personality: Her 80's incarnation was a Technical Pacifist and much more of a Flat Character compared to the other 'Cats. This version of her, well... not so much.
 * Hidden Heart of Gold: Beneath that hardened exterior is a softer side. Lion-o mentioned this to her after she helped a baby winged-frog back into its nest, followed by her dry reminder that they were supposed to be searching for firewood.
 * Hot Amazon: Being a gladiatrix slave can do that for a girl. Even Lion-o calls out on this in "Recipe for Disaster".
 * Hot-Blooded: She's taken over this role from Lion-O.
 * Improbable Aiming Skills: Case in point: In Birth of the Blades every single shot she fired was a headshot, and this is while she's also jumping and flipping around
 * Made a Slave: She started out in Ratar-O's mining pit, but was eventually sold as a fighter for the Pit.
 * Magic Skirt: All those acrobatics and she's never flashed anyone? Sorcery, surely.
 * The Medic: She's seen tending to Lion-O's wounds after they're freed. Granted, she inflicted those wounds...
 * Mini-Dress of Power
 * Ms. Fanservice: Much more fanservicey than her 80's counterpart.
 * Multishot: She's capable of firing multiple bolts at once from her crossbow.
 * Never My Fault: She has a bad tendency to blame Lion-O for everything, including things that actually her fault. The end of "Birth of Blades" suggests she may be aware of this and get better.
 * Oblivious to Love: In "Recipe for Disaster," her reaction to 's initial attempts at courtship range from oblivious to annoyed. Later, when he lands a daring attack on Mumm-Ra to protect her? Her reaction is
 * Nubile Savage: Very much in design if not quite execution.
 * Replacement Love Interest: For
 * : Pumyra's heart is impervious to trivial things like flowers and compliments, but the ever classical will melt the ice around it with instant rewards.
 * Revenge Before Reason: Her resentment-induced rage toward Lion-O alerts the guards and gets them both roped into a death match when she could have escaped with him, and then she berates him. Later she abandons their plan to rescue the Thunderan captives to attack a rat who was beating a slave.
 * Samaritan Relationship Starter: Textbook example.
 * She's Got Legs: Does she ever. It's emphasized by her miniskirt, and a garter that her bolo hangs onto.
 * Ship Tease: When Lion-O tells her about  the Love Triangle between him, Cheetara, and Tygra, Pumyra's got this little gem:
 * She's Got Legs: Does she ever. It's emphasized by her miniskirt, and a garter that her bolo hangs onto.
 * Ship Tease: When Lion-O tells her about  the Love Triangle between him, Cheetara, and Tygra, Pumyra's got this little gem:

"Panthro: "Enough flirting; let's do something about those slaves.""
 * Which is lampshaded a few seconds later by an irritated Panthro:


 * Another example comes at the end of "Birth of the Blades:"
 * In "Recipe for Disaster" Lion-O  (and failing miserably). In the final battle
 * Sixth Ranger: The true Sixth Ranger (especially if you count the Thunderkittens together).
 * Sugar and Ice Personality: Abrasive and hot-blooded most of the time, but every now and then, she shows a softer side.
 * Super Wrist Gadget: The gauntlet on her left wrist contains a collapsible crossbow, her primary Weapon of Choice.
 * Tall, Dark and Bishoujo: Pumyra can be considered as such, even though she's short.
 * Tomboyish Ponytail: Combined with...
 * Tomboyish Sidetails
 * Trick Arrow: The pellets she uses as ammo for her crossbow boast a wide array of armaments aside from the simple metal bearings, including explosives.
 * Trying Not to Cry: She almost breaks down during her "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Lion-O, the first hint that there's something more under all her anger and bitterness.
 * Tsundere: Definitely a Type A. She's ready to kill Lion-O until she understands that he didn't just abandon his people, that he's been fighting as hard as anyone else against Mumm-Ra, and that he would lay down his life for any of his fellow cats. Afterwards, she warms up to him, even bandaging his wounds, and spends the next episode alternating between sparring and flirting with him.
 * "The Birth of the Blades" shows this aspect of her character even more. Pumyra berates Lion-O throughout the episode for failing to save his people when they were enslaved by the Rats, and also calls him out on some of his more reckless-seeming tactics even when they work. After he manages to fend off Kaynar and Atticus,, Pumyra softly praises Lion-O for his actions and berates herself for her lack of faith. When Lion-O admits that she had a good reason for that, she gently chides him to not get mushy on her...then gently strokes his cheek when he insists that she address him by name, and not "Your Majesty."
 * In "Recipe for Disaster"
 * Undying Loyalty: Pledges this to Lion-O in "Birth of the Blades" after he repeatedly saves her even at cost to himself.
 * Waif Fu: Other than the Kittens she's the only Thundercat shorter than Lion-O and has a leaner build than Cheetara (probably because of her time as a mistreated slave). Her fighting style is highly acrobatic with lots of jumps and flips.
 * Weapon of Choice: A bola and wrist-mounted crossbow, essentially splitting her primary weapon from the original series in two.
 * As seen in "The Curse of Ratilla," she also has a small dagger sheathed to the back of her hips for close-quarters combat.
 * What the Hell, Hero?: She calls Lion-O out on leaving Thundera's survivors leaderless.
 * When She Smiles: Her voice softens as well, taking on a rather lovely purr. Goes well in hand with her being a Tsundere.
 * When She Smiles: Her voice softens as well, taking on a rather lovely purr. Goes well in hand with her being a Tsundere.

Snarf
"Voiced by: Satomi Koorogi"

Snarf is Lion-O's loyal pet and, unlike his previous incarnation, does not speak.

Tropes associated with Snarf:

 * Amplified Animal Aptitude: Clearly comprehends speech, enough to become frightened when an enemy proposes that Lion-O Duel to the Death.
 * Badly-Battered Babysitter: The two-minute short "Snarf: Butterfly Blues" sees Snarf frantically protecting an infant Lion-O from danger as he obliviously chases a butterfly.
 * Butt Monkey: The more things change the more they stay the same.
 * Casting Gag: Snarf has transformed from the original's Talking Animal Non-Human Sidekick with a Verbal Tic to a Team Pet who can only Pokémon-Speak. His voice actress is Satomi Koorogi, who voiced Togepi and Pichu in the anime of Pokémon.
 * The Confidant: Lion-O freely expresses insecurities to Snarf that he won't to his family. Snarf does his best to lend an ear.
 * Empathy Pet/Loyal Animal Companion: For Lion-O, who uses him as sounding board for his issues, and frequently for the Thunderkittens. If "Snarf: Butterflies Blues" is any indication, Snarf has been by Lion-O's side since the prince was a baby.
 * Evil-Detecting Dog: Snarf knows well before Lion-O that the Duelist is bad news.
 * Green Eyes: Yellow green, fully Animal Eyes, in contrast to Cats' visible white sclera
 * Grew a Spine: Snarf seemed to be nothing but a Lovable Coward, unlike his original series counterpart who was annoying but helpful. As of episode 9 he's upgraded to Not So Harmless status.
 * Mix-and-Match Critters: Snarf is a domestic cat crossed with one very specific, bat-eared feline dragon.
 * Nearly-Normal Animal: Level 2, Mostly Normal. Has covered his eyes in terror, razzed himself in a mirror, and (poorly) mimicked Lion-O's fighting style with a stick. Has also gasped and shaken his head vigorously, mouth shut, while making a "noonoo" noise on hearing that Lion-o is to Duel to the Death.
 * Ridiculously Cute Critter: His 2011 redesign is this. Fans are already demanding plushies.
 * Pokémon-Speak: He often utters "Snarf" in between animal noises, as a Mythology Gag to the original's Verbal Tic.
 * Shout-Out: As with the original, his design is a Super-Deformed tribute to Rankin Bass' version of Smaug. Paradoxically, the resemblance is greater now, with Snarf's feline features increased.
 * Screams Like a Little Girl
 * Team Pet
 * The Unintelligible: He does not speak, but Lion-O appears to understand him just fine.
 * Verbal Tic Name: "Snaaaarrrrf!"

Jaga
"Voiced by: Corey Burton"

Head of Thundera's Cleric warriors before

Tropes associated with Jaga:
"Jaga: ...and though omens foretold in the book would be ignored, the tragedy to come was necessary."
 * 24-Hour Armor: Wears a breastplate beneath his Pimped-Out Cape, huge pauldrons atop it, and a spiked helm.
 * Badass Beard/Wizard Beard
 * Badass Grandpa: Fully capable of dispatching a Walking Tank on his own.
 * Badass Mustache
 * Battle Cry: "Clerics, to the death."
 * Church Militant: Head of his Clerics, the Guardians of the Crown
 * The Confidant: Deftly convinces Lion-O to admit to having a vision, but decides that the details can wait.
 * Cool Helmet: Breaks with the uniform of his Clerics, wearing a nicely spiked metal helm ornamented with a gem.
 * Cool Old Guy
 * Court Mage
 * Cozy Voice for Catastrophes: In his Opening Monologue, Jaga describes the necessity of Thundera's doom in an almost reassuringly pleasant tone.
 * The Fatalist: Takes this tack particularly in his Opening Monologue:
 * The Fatalist: Takes this tack particularly in his Opening Monologue:


 * He also speaks with prophetic certainty where Lion-O is concerned: informing him that the Book of Omens predicted that Thundera's greatest king would have "sight beyond sight," because he's well aware Lion-O has had a vision.
 * Good Shepherd: Offers guidance and encouragement to Lion-O.
 * Keeper of Forbidden Knowledge: His Kingdom and his King only believe in the Book of Omens and think it lost, so much so, they sent their best generals questing for years. Not only does he know it exists, he's always known
 * Magic Knight
 * Midnight Blue Eyes
 * Mister Exposition: He narrates the Opening Monologue and regularly explains things for Lion-O and the viewer.
 * The Obi-Wan: Fairly standard as the old mentor/quest giver.
 * Old Master: Quite impressive on the field of battle.
 * Old Retainer: "Be easy on [Lion-O], Claudus. Remember when you were his age, your father wasn't always pleased with you either."
 * Parental Substitute:
 * Has this kind of dynamic with Lion-O, defending him to Claudus, often being there with advice and support where Claudus is very much not.
 * Flashbacks show he's this towards an orphaned Cheetara as well.
 * Pimped-Out Cape: Moreso than his King, surprisingly
 * Secret Secret Keeper: Is fully aware that Lion-O saw a vision in the Sword of Omens, and offhandedly mentions the existence of "Sight Beyond Sight" while convincing Lion-O to confide in him. Unfortunately, he decides to let Lion-O get back to a party and hear him out later.
 * Shoulders of Doom: Tremendous white rounded pauldrons, with grey accents and gold edging, in common with his Clerics.
 * : Briefly, in an interesting example of toying with audience expectations.
 * : Tells Lion-O what there is to know about the Book of Omens.
 * Staff of Authority: His crosier, which he uses to power up Lion-O's Claw Gauntlet.
 * Super Speed
 * Unreliable Narrator: His Opening Monologue is shot through with Half Truths, neglecting to mention that Third Earth's "peace and prosperity" belongs solely to Thundera's upperclass Cats, or that the ruler's "just heart" does not extend to other species.
 * : Briefly, in an interesting example of toying with audience expectations.
 * : Tells Lion-O what there is to know about the Book of Omens.
 * Staff of Authority: His crosier, which he uses to power up Lion-O's Claw Gauntlet.
 * Super Speed
 * Unreliable Narrator: His Opening Monologue is shot through with Half Truths, neglecting to mention that Third Earth's "peace and prosperity" belongs solely to Thundera's upperclass Cats, or that the ruler's "just heart" does not extend to other species.

Claudus
"Voiced by: Larry Kenney"

Lion-O's father and adoptive father to Tygra; he is murdered during The Siege of Thundera.

Tropes associated with Claudus:

 * 24-Hour Armor: Part of his Requisite Royal Regalia
 * Actor Allusion: Larry Kenney (the original voice of Lion-O from the '85 cartoon) tells Lion-O to let him show off what the Sword of Omens can do "in the proper hands." Jaga mentions that Claudus was much like Lion-O himself in his youth and Claudus gets to do the rallying cry one last time.
 * Almost-Dead Guy: Has just enough time to say his last words.
 * Ancestral Weapon: His Sword of Omens
 * Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance: Wields an Ancestral Weapon that Only the Chosen May Wield, and has a mane and eyes that match its own coloring.
 * Authority Equals Asskicking: Can easily mow down multiple Lizards in a single swing.
 * Badass Beard
 * Badass Cape: Black and billowy, particularly during sword fights.
 * Badass Mustache
 * Big Good/The Good King: For a given value of good.
 * Cool Chair: Has a high-backed golden throne with cat's head armrests and royal blue cushions, which Mumm-Ra later sees fit to commandeer.
 * Cool Sword: The Sword Of Omens
 * Death by Origin Story: Is assassinated by Mumm-Ra during The Siege, shaping Lion-O's personal drive to defeat Mumm-Ra.
 * Drill Sergeant Nasty: Affects this attitude during his son Lion-O's Rite of Passage, testing his swordsmanship skills while bellowing an oral history of their people.
 * The Emperor: King of Thundera.
 * Et Tu, Brute?: Poor Claudus gets this twice. First his most trusted general helps his enemies destroy his city. Then he's stabbed In the Back,
 * Every Device Is a Swiss Army Knife: His Claw Gauntlet does triple duty as scabbard, gauntlet and buckler.
 * Famous Last Words: "No matter what happens, you've made me proud today."
 * Fantastic Racism: Harbors a great deal of this towards 'lesser species' like the Lizards.
 * Fantasy-Forbidding Father: To Lion-O, over his Cloudcuckoolander hobbies and peculiar ideas about Lizards being persecuted.
 * Fiery Redhead
 * Follow in My Footsteps: Claudus is the stern father to Lion-O who can't understand why his youngest son is so different from his older adoptive brother Tygra and himself.
 * Genre Blindness: We've got a classic fantasy society and a plucky not really grown up prince. All standard fantasy openers at this point demand the death of the king.
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars: His neat, horizontal scar across the bridge of his nose
 * Heroes Prefer Swords
 * Heroic Build: Arms like tree trunks, this one.
 * Knight Templar: To the hilt. He finds the idea of protecting stockaded Lizards from being lynched rather incredible.
 * Large and In Charge
 * Good Is Not Nice: Shining City. Bright Castle. The Good King. Noble Bigot. Knight Templar.
 * Mythology Gag/Whole Costume Reference: Out-of-universe, it's not so much that Lion-O's outfit resembles his as his outfit resembles Lion-O's... for obvious reasons.
 * Noble Bigot: Seriously, a Lizard lynching builds solidarity, but he'll humor his kid and pardon some prisoners just this once.
 * Occult Blue Eyes: Blue-green eyes, like, his son, part of his Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance.
 * Parental Favoritism: Favors The Dutiful Son, Lion-O's adoptive brother Tygra, even asking him "Why couldn't [Lion-O] be more like you?"
 * The Patriarch: An old-fashioned, fairly inflexible father figure.
 * Protectorate: Thundera and the Cats, at the expense of other Animals.
 * Proud Warrior Race Guy: A very old-school Thunderian who prefers rule by the sword to engendering mutual understanding with other species. Needless to say, this backfires horribly.
 * Punny Name: Claudus rules with "a just heart and razor claw," and has a name one letter away from Claudius, which is easy Foreshadowing.
 * Redheaded Hero
 * Remake Cameo: Lion-O's father Claudus is voiced by Larry Kenney, the original series' Lion-O.
 * Requisite Royal Regalia: Claudus sports a small gold wreath-style diadem as a crown, huge, elaborate pauldrons, a Badass Cape, full cuirass and a large belt-mounted cabochon.
 * Retractable Weapon: The Sword of Omens retracts to dagger length for stowing inside it's scabbard, Claudus' Claw Gauntlet.
 * Royal Blood
 * Royals Who Actually Do Something: A terror on the battlefield.
 * Sacrificial Lion: Does not survive The Siege.
 * Shoulders of Doom: The most intimidating aspect of his relatively understated Requisite Royal Regalia, a set of huge, black and silver dual-layered pauldrons that match his Badass Cape.
 * So Proud of You: His last words, directed at Lion-O.
 * Troubled Sympathetic Bigot: Never understands the wrongheadedness of his views, but genuinely wants his unfavorite son Lion-O to be a good king, and wrestles with the idea that his son has rebelled against his culture of Fantastic Racism while having Grew a Spine just as Claudus had hoped. This dissonance leads him to agree to pardon two Lizards that Lion-O has defended from an Angry Mob.
 * Viking Funeral: Claudus has a funeral pyre below the ruins of his monument.
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist: All he does, he does in the name of protecting his people.
 * Why Couldn't You Be Different?: "Why couldn't [Lion-O] be more like you, Tygra?"

Lynx-O
"Voiced by: Kevin Michael Richardson"

A general of Thundera's army. Despite being blind, Lynx-O stands guard at the watch tower and uses his heightened senses to detect any danger that approaches the kingdom.

Tropes associated with Lynx-O:

 * Disability Superpower: Though blind, Lynx-O detects the scent of an invading Lizard army that's just out of sight of his fellow sentries.
 * Four-Star Badass: He became the General of the Thundarian Army.
 * Hachimaki
 * Milky White Eyes: Due to his blindness.
 * Multiethnic Name: Like Lion-O, the "-O" suffix of his name seems to be a reference to the "ō" in Japanese names and titles meaning "king."
 * Super Senses
 * The Nose Knows: Can smell the lizard army from very far away.
 * One-Scene Wonder: Has only appeared briefly, and his name wasn't dropped until a few episodes later.