Name: Cheetara

Race: Thunderian [Cheetah]

Occupation: ThunderCat Warrior [In many episodes, she can be seen doing piloting of the crafts; she also seems to do well with computers, though nothing was ever mentioned to support this.]

Weapon: An energy staff [Her staff has the ability to become a compact rod about a foot long, or to expand up to approximately twenty feet.  She uses it to vault over things, as a lever, and to smack people and things with it.  The staff can shoot blasts of energy, both light energy and apparently some sort of heat energy.  It was the first of the weapons that Panthro outfitted with a communication devise.  Cheetara was given the staff by Jaga, and carries it in hidden in an arm shield.]

Special Abilities: Cheetara can run at extreme 'super speeds', but can only maintain these speeds for short distances.  She also has an ability called her 'Sixth Sense'.   Credited first as a gift by fellow ThunderCats and a curse by her own admission, she was able to develop this ability throughout the course of the show.  [Her sixth sense started as a psychic ability to see into the past and to see future events, but she could not control what she saw of the future, and seeing into the past drained her strength greatly.  She would delve into the past by spinning in one place extremely fast, then stopping and focusing on what she was seeking.  This technique was first seen in the episode "The Ghost Warrior", when she uses it to find out who Grune the Destroyer was.  It isn't until "The Telepathy Beam" that she is finally able to control her powers, using them to aid some of the other ThunderCats, who have been captured by the combined efforts of the Lunataks and one of Vultureman's crazy inventions.]

Love Interests: This particular question has been an issue of discussion for as long as anyone can remember.  Though the majority seem to cite Tygra as the likely candidate for Cheetara's affections, there is little evidence to back this claim up.  Panthro seems to show interest in the cheetah in early episodes, and numerous times expresses his concern for her in his silent way, but Cheetara never really returns the affection.  There are occasions where there seems to be an attraction between Cheetara and the young ThunderCat lord, Lion-o, but it seems more to be a short-lived crush. [Episodes: Sixth Sense; All That Glitters]  Even more likely still is the possibility of her 'dream' relationship with Wizz-ra, the ancient archenemy of Mumm-ra.  The episode "Dimension Doom" is the only time we see her swoon over a man and not because she's been doing a little too much spinning.  My personal preference is to place her with Panthro.  Survival of the fittest, and he is as strong as she is swift.  Can you imagine the cubs those two would have?

Episodes of Interest: The must-see for every Cheetara fan is "The Telepathy Beam", although seeing it will beg the question, 'Why didn't she use her powers for the rest of the series?'.  That question is easily answered by the question, 'Why did Tygra only use his mind powers once?'.  Another excellent episode is "Sixth Sense", though crudely drawn, it is an interesting one.  Other episodes to see include "Dimension Doom", "Thundercubs", and "The Doom-Gaze", and of course, "Exodus".

Catch Phrase & Quotes:

"I am a woman!"
        -to Tashi, after the unsuccessful attempt to mesmerize Cheetara [The Doom-Gaze]

"...I will not be defeated!"
        -end of her 'Pride of My People' speech, following the discovery of her new powers [The Telepathy Beam]

Final Thoughts:  Poor Cheetara picked up the rep at some point of being a Thunderian slut.  Although it is uncertain how this originated, the likely fact is due to the many, many, many romance stories pairing her with, well, just about everyone.  It would be interesting to find out who was paired up with the most variety of others - Cheetara or Lion-o.

Have a catch phrase or quote you think should be here?  Just dying to add some info I missed?  E-mail me!