Physically, they are quite large and very powerful, with an average height of about 7 feet or more, and a weight that often exceeds 200 kg, making them the largest of all Felines subgenus. They have a smooth coat with black, short, and wide streaks that are spaced far apart. The general color of their coat varies from a marked orange to gold on their back, and white on their belly. Their eyes allow them to detect even the slightest movement and to move with ease in the darkness of night.

Most of the Tiger people live in self-managed clans, called oniwaban, which are separated from one another and ruled by a kage supported by some shinobi. Ancient rivalries between clans and differences in popular culture, whether small or large, ended up taking on the aspect of serious flaws rather than cultural advantages.
The Tiger people have always had a strong and staunch devotion to mercenary work and the exploitation of their own warfare and stealth skills, and were often recruited as spies and marauders by many peoples and governments. They appeared as hired mercenaries even more than two centuries before the Tale. Although they are a strong and stocky race, formidable in one-on-one clashes, the Tiger people tend, even too often, to rely on more subtle techniques, always exploiting elements such as surprise and ambush. Tasks assumed by Tiger mercenaries often included, and still include: espionage, sabotage, infiltration, assassination, and guerrilla warfare.

During the tumultuous ending period of the mahajanapadas, the need emerged for the newborn Iwara to hire fighters willing to commit acts deemed unsuitable for traditional warriors. Non-regular fighting methods were considered "dishonorable" and "inferior" by the Orangutan nobility, who still today observe strict rules about war. In the following period, the Tigers played various roles in expansion wars, including spy (kancho), explorer (teitatsu), and ambusher (kishu). But in the end, it was easy for the Orangutan Maharajas to conquer the Tigers as well. The Tigers are much bigger and stronger, more skilled in fighting, but after long years of mercenary bindings and the exploitation of their techniques, Maharajas found easier ways (such as money debts, pitting one clan against the other, or a cunning use of coercion) to subdue the Tiger people, who had already been clearly defeated, even if not officially.