Bakeneko

Bakeneko, or Mao Kobayashi, is a shape-shifting hero who can turn into either a black panther and a black house cat. In Earth Unlimited, she is a celebrity for being both a superhero in The Association and also a rock star. In Earth Limited, she is a freedom fighter in Slayer's Crew.

Unlimited
Mao, as a child, had an older sister named Aiko. The pair were very close, and were also both born mutants; Mao could turn into a cat and a panther and performed better in the dark and while lurking; Aiko transformed into a fox, and had power the ability to be hyper-aware of her surroundings. However, while Mao's transformations were safe, Aiko's transformations were volatile and unexpected - she would transform at random, inconvenient times, or be stuck in a half-form that was painful and crippling. Eventually, when they were teenagers, Aiko's transformations took her life.

Mao was 16 and did not have a good relationship with her parents - she looked very much like her sister and they pushed her away, and she was shunned. She moved out soon after her sister's death, using her powers to steal things and sell them to a fence to eat, and dropped out of high school. Living a life of petty crime lasted her a couple of years before she was confronted by the heroes Fist of the West and Inu, and instead of taking her in to be arrested, they took her under their wing and taught her to fight crime. Fist and Mao got on especially well, and had a close friendship.

Not long after, she was drafted into The Association of Heroes with hesitation. Uncomfortable with being in the spotlight due to her power set and criminal background, not to mention her general attention-deflecting nature, Fist ultimately was able to convince her to join The Association by way of commenting on the elevated platform she would have to raise money and support for the issues she cared about. And so she did, and she donated over 90% of her earnings to charities, her two largest being one the help animals, and one to help troubled children (particularly mutants) off the streets.

While in The Association she bonded especially closely with Feedback, Mountain, and Black Hat. After years of partnership, she and Black Hat retired together, making music and occasionally assisting Vanguard: EU.