Panel redraw of Makima as a Tiger (South China subspecies).

Having her as a tiger is clever, as they are often associated with deities (if not venerated themselves), and can be seen as the kings of the animal kingdom (notice the 王 “king” I tried to sneak on her forehead). Power, grace and royalty come up often too, as terms linked to them.

SPOILERS BELOW

I did, however, give her lion ears. Why? Because in my version of the AU, “devils” are all hybrids of some sort. Makima having lion ears as the only sign of being a “devil” in the AU seemed fitting, as most people wouldn’t even notice. And there’s another Aesop fable, “The Lion and the Mouse” featuring a lion king being helped by a mouse; so given her association with them...