Iena Madaraba is a spotted hyena student at Seton Academy. Childhood bullying over wearing boy's clothing and claiming male identity left lingering shame about her facial features. Her father later revealed her resemblance to her late mother, transforming this shame into pride and associating her appearance with strength.

A misunderstanding about hyena biology, fueled by incomplete information from her father and brother, led Iena to believe she was male, specifically due to the presence of pseudopenises in female spotted hyenas. Jin Mazama later clarified the biological reality, revealing her female sex and causing significant confusion about her identity.

Physically, Iena possesses a boyish appearance with short brown hair and light brown eyes, consistently dressed in male attire. After learning her sex, she experimented with feminine clothing and hairstyles under her brother's guidance but ultimately returned to her preferred masculine style, maintaining it even when required to wear the girls' uniform. Her resemblance to her mother remains a significant point of familial pride.

Her personality is dominant and aggressive, marked by a strong aversion to being identified as female. She exhibits a "manly" spirit, enjoys challenging formidable opponents, and prefers solitude despite popularity among other hyenas. While outwardly tough, she harbors internal conflicts regarding femininity and occasionally seeks guidance on being more ladylike. Her aggression mirrors real-world alpha female hyena behaviors, including high competitiveness and territoriality.

Iena possesses exceptional physical strength, capable of defeating multiple adversaries like male lions or formidable agents such as binturongs and mammoths. Her powerful bite force allows her to effortlessly crush bones and stone, reflecting biological traits of spotted hyenas.

Her development centers on self-acceptance. Jin's revelation prompted her to briefly adopt feminine mannerisms to appeal to Hitomi Hino. She abandoned this effort after encouragement from Mei Mei, who advised living authentically. This led Iena to embrace her masculine presentation while reconciling with her female identity. Her family, despite initial hopes for traditional femininity, gradually accepted her choice as societal understanding of gender diversity evolved.

Key relationships include admiration for Hitomi Hino, which drove her attempts at femininity and sparked rivalry with Anne Anetani for Hitomi's attention – a rivalry that later evolved into friendship. She faces harassment from bonobo girls, resulting in non-consensual kisses and memory loss from overwhelming encounters. Familial bonds involve complex dynamics with her father and brother, who balanced their desire for her femininity with support for her happiness. She shares mutual respect with characters like King Shishino due to shared strength.

Biologically, female spotted hyenas exhibit pseudopenises and fused labia that resemble male genitalia, historically causing misidentification as hermaphrodites. This trait underpinned Iena's initial gender confusion. Her name derives phonetically from "hyena".