[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pantheracrew-1-1_7775.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Left to right: Kira/[[PlayingWithFire Tigris]], Jason/[[DishingOutDirt Leo]], Fletcher/[[BlowYouAway Pardus]] and Taylor/[[MakingASplash Onca]].]]
'''Four teens. Four cats. Four elements.'''

'''Four warriors: Panthera.'''

''[[http://www.pantheracomic.com/ Panthera]]'' follows the unexpected adventures of Taylor Quinn, new freshman at Bridgedale High School in Massachusetts. Most students have a rough time transitioning to high school - pop quizzes on day one, cafeteria food, gym class, and the like. Well, Taylor gets lured in to (more like abducted by) the special club her brother Jason is in, only to find it's a group of teens given the power to transform into big cats (as in lions and such, not oversize house cats, mind you) with control over the classical elements. Including herself now, apparently.

The group is led by BHS's chemistry teacher, Mr. Richard Reynder, whose past work at a chemical company apparently led to a massive (and inhumane) experiment, which has support from the government, (and also to his ability to give the teens their powers,) which he tasks Panthera with trying to stop. So Taylor, Jason, Jason's hot-tempered girlfriend Kira, and the easy-going quick-witted sophomore Fletcher find themselves, in panther form, on the wrong side of the FBI's guns.

But what happens if the cats get connected back to the kids?

Not to be confused with the band Music/{{Pantera}}.

----
!!This webcomic provides examples of:

%%* ActionGirl: Kira/Tigris
* AllThereInTheManual: Every now and then, D.Z. will mention some background info on the forums. For example, Jason and Taylor's parents are called Issac Quinn and Valentine Harris.
* AllYourPowersCombined: Has yet to show up with Onca included, but Tigris, Leo and Pardus together had the "[[{{Narm}} Magma]] [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1403 Storm]]"
** Guest comic: "[[http://www.pantheracomic.com/images/fanart/caroline_3.jpg Mud. We made warm, bubbly mud.]]"
* AmbiguouslyGay: Collin Jacoby, one of the [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=2057 school newspaper people]]. Andre never specifies what was on that computer...
* AppliedPhlebotinum: Explanation for the transformation, though justified because there ''is'' a scientific explanation for it. (May be {{Technobabble}}.) But, Leo probably explains it best: "[[AWizardDidIt Magic]]".
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: The three rules of Panthera: 1) Never reveal your secret identity to anyone, 2) Obey the team leader in all team-related matters, 3) Anyone who makes a cat-related pun [[TheSwearJar puts $5 in that jar]].
-->'''Pardus''': ''So'' unfair. These Nazis ''double'' the fine if I call it "the kitty".
* AwesomeButImpractical: [[spoiler: Gyeoknoho, the North Korean HumongousMecha]]. [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1641 Leo]] [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this. Aside from that, someone in the forums mentions that [[spoiler: [[MoreDakka having guns for claws]]]] is a really stupid move, since they break really easily.
* BattleCouple: Jason/Leo and Kira/Tigris.
* BeachEpisode: Not on the comic itself, but on the artist's Deviantart page [[http://jeffk38uk.deviantart.com/art/Panthera-Beach-Pose-300448460 here]].
* BetaCouple: Seems to be setting this up for Jason/Kira and Fletcher/Taylor. Compare and contrast [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1779 7.17]] and [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1803 7.19]] (Jason and Kira) with [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1793 7.18]] and [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1812 7.20]] (Fletcher and Taylor).
* BilingualBonus: The second story arc is set in North Korea, hence occasional bits of Korean.
* BloodFromTheMouth: [[spoiler: Valeska Köhler]] [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1334 here]].
* BrokenPedestal: [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1269 Tigris explains]]. And it happens ''twice.'' [[spoiler: The friendly MotherlyScientist who recruits them to work for the F.B.I. is the one who sells them out to North Korea, the Mexican Drug Lord, and Ootherhius.]]
* CallingYourAttacks: [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1680 Chapter 6, page 21]]. [[GenreSavvy Pardus]] [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] it.
--> '''Pardus:''' Air! Air!! ...aw, when did we stop doing the scream-your-element-while-attacking thing?
* CarFu: [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1389 Leo and Pardus team up for it]]. [[spoiler:Oosterhuis proceeds to break the car in half and send it flying back.]]
* CarnivoreConfusion: Onca's human side shows through [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1620 here]].
* CatFight: Onca and Tigris end up bonking heads in their transformed states, making it a literal cat fight.
* CatGirl: Not in the traditional sense... Also [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1029 this]].
* ClingyJealousGirl: Kira for most of arc 1, in the sense that she hated Taylor for (potentially) taking some of Jason's time.
* CollapsingLair: [[spoiler: Oosterhuis]] destroys the load-bearing columns of the underground facility when he loses his alias and his support, leaving Panthera [[spoiler: and several FBI agents]] in the collapsing room.
* DeadpanSnarker: Tigris has her moments in the second story arc.
* DidNotThinkThisThrough: [[spoiler: North Korea builds a '''Nuclear Powered''', fire breathing, Tiger Mecha.]] Aside from all the other flaws that Leo points out, Jang, or whoever designed it, apparently never considered the fact that it would have to be going out-doors at some point, and completely neglected to put ''windshield wipers'' on the cockpit windows. [[spoiler: Thus simply splashing mud on it completely blinds the pilot.]]
%%* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu : Taylor did right [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1413 here]].
* ElementalPowers: Duh?
** DishingOutDirt: Leo.
** PlayingWithFire: Tigris.
** BlowYouAway: Pardus.
** MakingASplash: Onca.
* {{Fanservice}}: There's an [[PantyShot upskirt]] of Jang [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1641 here]], which WordOfGod claims to be a coloring accident. In a non-main-comic example, [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=299 this]] {{NSFW}} was pretty popular in the forums.
* FightingYourFriend: The aforementioned cat fight just barely qualifies in terms of "friend", as Tigris hated Onca from the start and Onca more or less handed her the perfect reason to try and clobber her.
* FireBreathingWeapon: [[spoiler: Gyeoknoho]].
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: In addition to their elemental powers each member of Panthera also has one of the four temperments associated with their powers in the form of healing ability, based on the relationship set in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humorism Humorism]].
** One could also include Aristotle in the ensemble as such (based on personalities): Ari is Phlegmatic, Onca is Supine, Pardus is Sanguine, and Leo and Tigris are mixes of Choleric and Melancholic.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Valeska's tidbit in [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1169 panel four]].
** In 6.24, Panthera is trying to figure out who tipped off [[spoiler:the North Koreans]] to their powers. Come 7.24... [[spoiler:Ari's back.]]
* GenreSavvy: Pardus shows plenty of this [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1175 here]] even if Tigris Seems GenreBlind in the same scene.
** GenreBlind: [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1682 Jang]] in chapter six. "[[spoiler:Gyeoknoho]] is '''glorious'''! [[spoiler: Gyeoknoho]] is '''invincible'''! [[spoiler: Gyeoknoho]] -- *KABOOM*" Forumgoers were quick to point out that that's number 24 on the EvilOverlordList.
%%* GonnaFlyNowMontage: [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=952 Complete with music.]]
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Seems to be played straight at first with [[spoiler:Valeska Köhler]], but subverted when [[spoiler: it turns out Ari is the BigBad]]. [[spoiler: Later played straight with Kira's facial scar after 8.10, though.]]
* GratuitousLatin: Leo Terrae, Tigris Ignis, Pardus Aeris and Onca Aquae. Also MeaningfulName: Respectively, Lion of Earth, Tiger of Fire, Leopard of Air, and Jaguar of Water.
* [[HumongousMecha Homungous]] [[AnimalMecha Animal]] [[HumongousMecha Mecha]]: [[spoiler: The North Koreans call it Gyeoknoho or the Raging Tiger.]]
** ImpossiblyGracefulGiant
*** It's then subverted when Leo gives a long explaination of [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1641 why it would not work]] - [[spoiler:It's nuclear powered, with all the problems with shielding and cooling that implies (and it does blow up at the end of the chapter), and it's just not sustainable. Also, it has guns in the claws. That's also a problem because they could get jammed by the mud and broken by whatever surface it's going on]].
* HurricaneOfPuns: Courtesy of CJ. "Oh, sure, Fletch's a '''''cool cat'''''. I'm pawsitive our purrsonal relationship is a '''''roaring''''' success. Some club can't change his spots, no kitten. Pard-on me, I feel-ine late for our class. Cat-cha later." (That makes $45 for the [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=690 cat-pun jar]], if you were wondering.)
* KnightTemplarBigBrother: Jason has shades of this when it comes to Fletcher and Taylor. [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1761 Ouch.]]
* LetsSplitUpGang: In chapter eight. Leo states that they've got two angles of attack that way and the split is tactically decided - most experience with least (the teams are Tigris-Pardus and Onca-Leo). Tigris notes it's unusual.
* TheMole: The current plot seems to be setting up [[spoiler: Sarah Pavlopoulos]] as one of these.
* MuggingTheMonster: [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1581 here]].
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Leo develops a case of this after they get out of Korea. Minor case: after promising to rip Fletcher's throat out if he [[KnightTemplarBigBrother hurts Taylor in any way, shape or form]], because Fletcher is a good kid and probably the only person in the world who knows what she's going through besides Jason himself and Kira. A more serious example happens after they get back from Korea - after [[spoiler:Ari's [[TheReveal Reveal]] and death]], Jason realises that a lot of the things he always assumed were true or the right thing to do don't make sense anymore in light of [[spoiler:their drastically-shortened lifespan]] and has one of these when he realises that he pulled his own sister into this mess.
* MyHovercraftIsFullOfEels: Poor Onca as she tries to learn Growl: apparently she likes [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=914 boiling flowers and fucking fruit.]]
* MySisterIsOffLimits: Played with as Jason is clueless about Fletcher taking a liking to Taylor until Kira points it out to him, when he promptly goes into stunned denial of the possibility.
** He seems painfully aware of it later, though. When Fletcher takes Taylor to a concert, Jason makes it crystal clear that if anything whatsoever happens, [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1761 bad things will happen]]. To be fair, though, those tickets are apparently really expensive, it's not that much of a stretch...
* NaiveNewcomer: Onca. To be fair, she had no idea what she was getting into.
* NoOneCouldSurviveThat: [[spoiler:Leo in the collapsing Ovid-building.]]
* {{UsefulNotes/NorthKorea}} and pretty much all the tropes that go with it.
* OhCrap: All of Panthera when [[spoiler: [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1274 Ari goes]] OneWingedAngel on them.]]
** Usually coupled with WideEyesAndShrunkenIrises in this series.
** Chin-Hwa gets a moment one [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1614 here]].
** [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1761 Fletcher]] can't catch a break when Jason goes big brother over Taylor...
* PantheraAwesome: ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin
* PlotTailoredToTheParty: The second story arc takes place in North Korea, where Kira's family comes from.
* PoorCommunicationKills: Somewhat, as Onca tries to communicate to Tigris that [[spoiler: they've been fighting for the wrong side]] even though she's horrible at using Growl, though subverted as Tigris ''does'' get the gist of it anyway. Thus starts the epic battle.
** Though as bad as she is at Growl, Onca somehow nonetheless manages to express new words like "Hobbes" or even "Euphrates"(!) in it.
*** WordOfGod says proper names are cognates (or at least as close as you can get with panther-friendly sounds)
* PrematureEmpowerment: In the first issue, Taylor is asked to join the "Adventuring Club"…and then knocked out and injected with gene-altering treatments to turn her into a were-jaguar with elemental powers. And only ''then'' is she told what she's really let herself in for. This was largely the work of the group's mentor and MissionControl, who -perhaps not surprisingly- turned out to have his own agenda. [[spoiler: He also neglected to mention that his SuperSerum will drastically shorten a user's lifespan.]]
* RequiredSecondaryPowers: Tigris [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1175 doesn't seem to be bothered]] at all by her own fire.
** And used again [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1652 here]]. Tigris gets blasted with a flamethrower and notes that it "tickled".
* TheReveal: [[spoiler: Ari/Oosterhuis]] going OneWingedAngel and demonstrating [[AGodAmI his powers]].
* RightBehindMe: Done perfectly [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1629 here]].
--> '''Pardus''': That's the "Right Behind You" look isn't it? Man I hate that look.
* SayMyName: Done for drama [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1779 here]].
--> '''Leo''': [[spoiler:Cats don't need licenses, to hunt, fight, kill. But they never have to worry about '''why''' they do it, or the '''greater consequences''', either. And we...]] Tigris, what's my name?
--> '''Tigris''': I... don't follow.
--> '''Leo''': My '''name'''. What's my name?
--> '''Tigris''': Uh. "Leo?"
--> '''Leo''': [[spoiler:...no. "Leo" is the lion mask I wear into battle. And yes, the mask is deeply a part of me. But my mind -- my soul -- is '''''human'''''. My name is '''''Jason''''', and it's '''''me''''' who has to live with the things I do.]]
* SchoolNewspaperNewsHound: Chloe Lachapelle, as seen [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1700 here]]. She goes as far as to try to plant a bug at the team's usual table. She later quits the school newspaper, though, [[spoiler: and it's heavily implied after the reveal of Oosterhuis' new lackey that getting too close got Chloe hurt]].
* ShutUpHannibal: Done to [[spoiler: Oosterhuis]] [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1389 here]].
** CallingTheOldManOut: Pardus: "[[spoiler: I only serve ONE [[AGodAmI God]], and it ain't YOU.]]"
* ShutUpKiss: Done by Kira to Jason [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1803 here]]. Subverted when Jason gently pushes her away.
* SinkOrSwimMentor: Tigris to Onca, in a way. A bit heavy on the "Sink Or Swim", less so on "Mentor".
* StealthPun: One very early on that relies on knowledge of the later chapters: [[spoiler:one of Taylor's friends jokingly suggests she hug a leper, and while they've yet to actually embrace, she becomes something of a romantic interest to the leopard on the team.]] It's unknown whether or not this was intentional, but it's there.
* StuffBlowingUp: Large amounts of ammonium nitrate fertilizer + fire = [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=2204#idc-container goodbye warehouse]].
* SuperWindowJump: [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1353 Here]].
** Also used in [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1914 8.06]], complete with DramaticShattering.
* TheSwearJar: The infamous [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=690 Cat-Pun Jar]].
* TalkingAnimal: Averted; the members of ''Panthera'' invented their own language, Growl, "a language of panther-friendly sounds... Sorta like Esperanto meets death metal".
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: [[spoiler: Gyeoknoho again. Lessee: nuclear-powered, HumongousMecha, [[PantheraAwesome tiger-shaped]], [[MoreDakka guns for claws]] and it [[BreathWeapon breathes]] [[FireBreathingWeapon fire]]. Partially justified, since North Korea is too busy showing off to bother about practicality, as shown when it takes only one blast of fire from Tigris to blow it up.]]
** From a more recent chapter:
--> '''Jason:''' If you do '''''ANYTHING''''' to her, in '''any way, shape or form''', I will quite litterally '''#%$&!$# EAT YOU'''. And you have '''NO''' idea just how '''DEEP''' I could '''BURY''' what'd be left of your sorry '''carcass'''. '''UNDERSTOOD?'''
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Kira and Taylor.
* TookALevelInBadass:
** BewareTheNiceOnes: Fletcher - don't get him angry.
*** Leo has some of this later. [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1761 Poor Fletcher...]]
** CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Pardus and Onca - goofy and inexperienced, respectively.
** LetsGetDangerous: Onca and Tigris - those girls can ''fight''. [[spoiler: [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1334 Oosterhuis, too.]]]]
** SmokeShield: Leo [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1369 here]].
* TransformationComic: duh.
* TransformationConventions: Jason, TheLeader of the group, transforms into a lion called Leo; lions are traditionally regarded as the kings of beasts. Kira, his hot-tempered girlfriend, becomes a tiger called Tigris and gains the ability to spit fire.
* TransformationTrinket: all four of the team wear [[AmuletOfConcentratedAwesome amulets]] which help them transform into their animal selves. Averted for Onca's first transformation (before she even had an amulet), and by Tigris explicitly stating that they only [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=664 ease the transformation.]]
* TrustPassword: A variation is used [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1241 here]].[[spoiler: Pardus dyes his fur.]]
* UnsoundEffect: [[http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1620 Glare]]
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Although Taylor/Onca's initial transformations are quite definitely ''[[InvoluntaryShapeshifting not]]''.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:Søren Oosterhuis, aka Richard Reynder,]] turns out to be a NietzscheWannabe who, [[spoiler: driven by the death of his wife]], has been experimenting on "[[DisposableSexWorker people of]] [[DisposableVagrant no consequence]]" in the hope of perfecting a cure for cancer.
** Naturally [[spoiler:his]] dragon [[spoiler:Uncia]] shares the sentiment, much to the horror of the Panthera team.
-----