Tama is a white tiger from Africa, who was rescued by Nagi as a cub, and was raised on Matsuzaka beef and expensive tuna fish, making it incapable for him to go to the zoo or back to the wild. He can speak the human language, though he does not reveal this to Maria or Nagi because he doesn't want to shatter the young girl's dreams. He will lay his life down to protect Nagi, because his situation was a lot like Hayate's. To him, Maria is the highest power there is, followed by an impassable wall, Nagi, then himself, and everyone else is below him.

Despite the fact he is a white tiger, he was found by Nagi while she was exploring Africa. The mangaka admitted that he made a mistake when fans wrote to him pointing out there are no tigers in Africa. Usually when Tama is speaking or involved in a comical situation, he looks rather cartoony and, when standing on his hind legs, is about human size. He appears this way in most of his appearances, although he will occasionally be drawn in his actual size and appearance.