Biography

In Secrets of the Furious FiveEdit

Young Tigress confined at the Bao Gu Orphanage

As a cub, Tigress was an orphan living in the Bao Gu Orphanage, presumably located in the Valley of Peace. Currently, no one knows about her biological parents or how she ended up in the Bao Gu Orphanage. The residents of the orphanage lived in fear of her due to her violent temper and frightening strength. Unsure of what could be done with the tiger cub, the caretakers of the orphanage put Tigress in a separate room from the other children, and summoned the aid of Master Shifu.
Hearing about the trouble at the orphanage, Shifu came to help Tigress. He introduced her to a game of dominoes, which required a still and disciplined hand to master. At first, Tigress couldn't place the dominoes correctly, often breaking the fragile wooden tiles in her grip, which frustrated her. But Shifu was a calm and patient teacher, and instructed her for several months to control her temper and her strength, teaching her the importance of discipline.

Young Tigress displaying her mastery of her strength and temper

Finally, after months of training, Tigress presented her hard work to the adults and other children of the orphanage by skillfully placing the dominoes correctly with precision and agility; when she finished, she tipped the placed dominoes to form the symbol of Yin and Yang, earning the trust and friendship of the caretakers and other orphans.
Sadly, even then, the adults who came periodically to adopt new children were still afraid of her, and she was still left at the orphanage. So Shifu took her in as a daughter, giving Tigress a new home and a family.

In Kung Fu PandaEdit

Young Tigress displaying her Kung Fu skills

However, even in her new home, Tigress still felt unaccepted because of Shifu's closed and often stern personality, caused when his former student and son Tai Lung went on a violent rampage himself after being denied the title of Dragon Warrior. Striving to gain his approval and love, she bettered herself at Kung Fu and became a strong and dedicated student. One of the many ways of training she endured was punching the Iron-wood trees outside the Jade Palace, thus allowing her to feel no pain.
Over time, she was joined by four other students: Masters Monkey, Mantis, Crane, and Viper, and the group collectively became known as the Furious Five. Tigress became a master in the Tiger style of Hung Ga Kung Fu, and as the unofficial leader of the Furious Five, she and her comrades gained great fame across China with their many accomplishments in battle.
However, even with all her accomplishments, Tigress still felt the need to prove herself to Shifu that she wasn't a second Tai Lung. Her chance to prove herself came sooner than she expected when one day, Grand Master Oogway had a vision of Tai Lung breaking out of prison and returning to the Valley to get the Dragon Scroll. Alarmed, Shifu (acting on Oogway's suggestion) announced a tournament to declare who the Dragon Warrior would be out of the Furious Five.