Kabae is an office worker whose design is based on a hippopotamus, reflected in her large stature, pink skin, bright pink cheeks, small ears, and two prominent square front teeth. Her name is derived from the Japanese word for hippo, kaba. In a typical office setting, she wears a standard uniform consisting of a blue vest and skirt with a white dress shirt and brown shoes. Outside of work, she has been seen in casual attire such as a spotted orange blouse and blue pants.

Kabae possesses a very bubbly and outgoing personality. She is known throughout the office for her love of talking, particularly about her family, and for her remarkable ability to quickly spread rumors, a skill she openly takes pride in. Despite the chaos that her gossip can sometimes cause, she is generally a good-natured and caring individual. Her genuine kindness is shown through actions such as going to a sick coworker's home to provide care. Behind her talkative and sometimes joking exterior, she is also an efficient worker and a respected trainer among her peers. One of her primary motivations is her family, and she is extremely doting towards her three young sons, frequently sharing details of their accomplishments and attempting to show their pictures to everyone in the office.

Within the story, Kabae serves as a coworker and a friend to other employees, most notably Retsuko. While she may not always listen when Retsuko tries to correct the details of a rumor, the two share a supportive friendship. Kabae was willing to help Retsuko with a secret mission to gather evidence, and Retsuko has volunteered to cover Kabae's work so she could care for a sick son. Kabae also developed a significant friendship with the difficult coworker Anai. After he sent a threatening email to the department, she was unexpectedly the only person able to reach him by speaking softly and sharing lunch, which helped him open up about his duties and discover a talent for cooking.

Kabae's family is central to her identity. She is married to a doctor whom she met under unusual circumstances. When she once tried to zip her lip and stop talking so much, she ended up in the hospital, and the doctor listened to three weeks' worth of her chatter; they were soon married. Her husband is a fatherly man of few words. Her three sons are very energetic and have demonstrated cleverness, such as figuring out where their Christmas presents were hidden based on mud on Kabae's boots. Kabae has shown notable development in her ability to connect with others, turning a potentially hostile situation with Anai into a positive and productive relationship. She is also known to possess a secret second job as a spy, for which she has a distinct pink spy suit and gadgets like night vision goggles.