Toronado / Tornado is a Friesian or possibly a black Andalusian said to be very intelligent and very fast. His name is pronounced in the Spanish way, "tor-NAH-do". Being as jet-black as Zorro's costume enables horse and rider to more easily elude capture at night. Over the decades and the many stories, there have been several Toronados, all specific to their Zorros. 

In Isabel Allende's novel"Zorro" (2005) which covers the origins of the character,  Toronado is given to Don Diego de la Vega upon his return to California, by his milk brother, Bernado, and Bernardo's wife, Light-in-the-night, who trained it. During Bernardo and Diego's Indian initiation ritual before leaving for Spain, Bernardo notices a black foal tentatively following him while he is alone in the woods. Gradually, he befriends the horse, and names him Toronado (pending the horse's approval.) He plans to tame Toronado and give him to Diego, but when he wakes up after three days the horse is gone (only to show up again later.) So instead of a gift, he takes it as a sign that the horse is his spirit guide, and plans to "develop the horse's virtues: loyalty, strength, and endurance" .

In "The Mask of Zorro" (1998), a film, when Diego returns to his home after being imprisoned for twenty years he finds that everything, including the original Toronado is gone. (The novelization states that Toronado probably stayed in the area for as long as possible for love of his master before wandering away.) His successor, Alejandro Murrieta finds himself his own horse which he names Toronado after the first horse. (The novelization suggests that it may be the son of the earlier Toronado.) It is an intelligent animal but was at first poorly disciplined and seemed to deliberately make life difficult for his would-be master. For example, when preparing to jump from a building onto his horse's back, Alejandro said "I'm warning you. I'll get another horse! Come here estorm.... estupido!" Toronado walked up for his master and then walked a few steps forward so his master fell on the streets when he jumped. Inthe sequel "The Legend of Zorro" (2005), Toronado alters from obeying to disobeying Alejandro at various times, and it is early on shown that it has trouble understanding the English language.