Fruits Basket

:This article is about the manga and anime series. For the game, see Fruit Basket Turnover.

Characters

Names are in Western order, with the surname after the given name.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Tohru Honda, 16 (本田 透 Honda Tōru) - An orphaned high school student, Tohru ends up sharing house with Shigure, Yuki and Kyo Sohma. She loves to cook, is an excellent housekeeper and has an after school job as a janitor to help pay her tuition fees (since she doesn't want to be a burden on her grandfather). She's always polite, and is extremely (to an unbelievable extent) kind and selfless; in fact, the other characters sometimes have to tell her that she needs to look out for her own interests. Both of her parents are deceased. Her Mother, Kyoko, was a celebrated "yankee"-gang leader, and her father was a young high school teacher. Her Father died of pneumonia when Tohru was three years old and her mother of a car accident when Tohru first entered High school.
• Arisa Uotani, 17 (魚谷 ありさ Uotani Arisa), "Uo-chan" - Uo-chan is a former gang member(a "yankee"; a Japanese version of the American "Gangster thug" image) and has been one of Tohru's closest friends since Tohru's mother helped her escape from the gang (called "The Ladies") after wanting to go straight. Uo-chan is tough, brash, sometimes violent but cries easily when it comes to her friends. She wears long skirts, carries a lead pipe, and often speaks like a guy (in Japanese, different word choices can actually categorize a male or female on the way one speaks). Uo likes to play cards, protect Tohru from Yuki's fangirls, annoy Kyo, and swim. Her "convoluted" personality comes from home problems early in her life with her mother leaving her and her father for another man, while her father became an alcoholic because of it, leaving Arisa to become harsh and jaded in her views of the world until she met the kindness of Tohru and her mother, Kyoko. With her overprotective and "parental" protection of Tohru with Hana-chan, she comes off as the brash and direct father.
• Saki Hanajima, 16 (花島 咲 Hanajima Saki), "Hana-chan" - Hana-chan is a goth psychic ("denpa" in Japanese), and has the ability to sense people's auras and send out electric waves. Like Uo-chan, she is extremely protective of Tohru, the first person who has truly accepted her. She is very observant, polite and loves to eat sweets (and is rarely seen not eating outside of school). Her nickname ("Hana"-chan) and her manga symbol of a fanged violet relate humorously in that when spoken, they both mean "flower" in Japanese. Hanajima has a close relationship to her family who accept and even nurture her gift. Her mother seems to resemble Tohru's protective and caring nature (maybe explaining her attachment to Tohru). In the near "parental" protection she and Arisa give Tohru, she acts as the protective mother-in-law.
• Akito Sohma, 19-20 (草摩 慊人 Sōma Akito) - Akito is the head of the Sohma clan. Akito is very frail, and has poor health. He often runs fevers and rarely walks out of the main house other than to greet some of the Zodiac members, such as Yuki and Shigure, that live in the outside world. Akito has a definite mean streak and has physically and emotionally scarred many members of the Sohma family, but Akito's rule in the Sohma clan is absolute, and none dare oppose him. While Akito isn't cursed by any of the vengeful spirits (mononoke) of the Zodiac, Akito has been revealed (Volume 11) as playing the role of the Jade Emperor (God) from the stories about the origins of the Chinese Zodiac. A possible part of Akito's curse was that Akito would only live to be 30 years old. Obsessive and somewhat mad. At a certain point in the Zodiac's life, Akito wishes to force them to live within the Sohma compound with him for the rest of their lives in a never-ending "banquet". He even describes himself as the "Master of Their (the Zodiac) Souls". He also has a definite hatred of Kyo Sohma, the Cat, who he believes should be isolated for the rest of his life. Akito has recently been found to be a woman.
• Yuki Sohma, 16 (草摩 由希 Sōma Yuki) - Yuki is the Rat of the zodiac. Known as "The Prince" at school, Yuki is very pretty and refined, and has many admirers at school, but has a hard time being social; he wishes that he could be with people as friends, rather than admired and worshiped from afar. Yuki has suffered a traumatic childhood at the hands of Akito, the head of the Sohma clan, who locked up and mentally tortured him. Because of this, Yuki has a somewhat low sense of worth and a claustrophobic fear. With Tohru's help, however, Yuki is gradually able to loosen up. Generally quiet and polite, Yuki is an amazing martial artist who enjoys gardening. Yuki's fangirls hate it when Yuki gets closer to Tohru, and use harassment to try to drive her away. They claim they are trying to "protect" Yuki from Tohru, but in truth, they are merely bombarding him with one-sided love and adoration and it's Tohru who's protecting Yuki. It was revealed that Yuki was the one who saved Tohru and brought her back to her mother when she was young and had gotten lost; Tohru has never since forgotten that memory and keeps the hat (which actually belongs to Kyo) that Yuki gave to her. For that, Yuki always has had a deep respect and love for Tohru for actually "needing" him. He has a garden in a small patch of forest near the walkway leading to Shigure's house which he and Tohru call their "secret base".
• Kyo Sohma, 16 (草摩 夾 Sōma Kyō) - Kyo is the Cat, an animal not in the zodiac, but which legend says would have been were it not tricked by the rat into missing the induction feast. Kyo despises Yuki and has dedicated his entire life to someday defeating him. He made a bet with Akito: if he defeats Yuki before high school ends, he'll officially be accepted along with the other Jyuunishi by the Sohmas. If he does not, however, Kyo would be forced to live on the 'inside', within the Sohma honke (the large "first-born" house; rare, but some older and more prestigious Japanese families have them still in this day and age) for the rest of his life. Despite many months of strict training, Kyo has never managed to even land a decent blow on Yuki (in any case Yuki actually fights Kyo only to get him out of his face.; on one event, Yuki sent Kyo flying up vertically five fight with one punch). Kyo runs away even from the people that want to help him, because he is ashamed that he turns into a hideous monster when his rosary bead (made from human bones of a virtuous and powerful warrior-priest of old) bracelet is removed. He puts on a tough-guy mask to impress the world, but really he's just someone that wants to be accepted. He desperately hates leeks and miso (unless the miso is in soup)and spring onions (hates: leeks for the taste, and Miso for the smell). In certain parts of Asia, the cat actually replaces the rabbit on the zodiac.
• Shigure Sohma, 27 (草摩 紫呉 Sōma Shigure) - Shigure is the dog of the zodiac and the owner of the house where he, Tohru, Yuki and Kyo live. He is a writer who writes both academic books and (trashy) romance novels under many pen names (his most common and celebrated is "Karitani Noa" from his erotic "Summer-Colored Sky" novel). He loves to drink tea, eat takoyaki (a Japanese snack made of octopus), drive his editor (whom he affectionately calls "Miichan") to tears by feigning the non-completion of his work, sleep in late, and smoke cigarettes. In the anime, he is a harmless (albeit lecherous (Oyaji q.v.)) jokester who occasionally gives advice or purposely stirs up controversy for the good of everyone in the end. In the manga there is a much darker side to him as a schemer who will do anything or hurt anyone to get what he wants and be free of the curse.
• Kagura Sohma, 18 (草摩 楽羅 Sōma Kagura) - Kagura is the boar of the zodiac. She has been dedicated in her love for Kyo since they were young. Because of her "pity" of him as a child, when he was all alone because he carried the "cat", she played with and took care of him. Eventually, it developed into her falling into a near-obsessive love for him. She is convinced she will marry him, mainly because she threatened him into proposing to her (at age 7 with knives in the manga, or a boulder in the anime to a 5-year old Kyo). Despite this love, she often loses her head and beats him senseless when he does something to anger her or make her anxious. As one of the three (rare) female members of the zodiac, she is able to hug any of the male members and neither she nor they transform. Lives with Rin and her mother (who is perfectly okay with Kagura's double-edged personality).
• Kisa Sohma, est.12 (草摩杞紗 Sōma Kisa) - Kisa is the Tiger of the zodiac. She is very shy and withdrawn, largely because her classmates harass and ostracize her due to her naturally orange hair (a side effect of her curse of the tiger) because in Japanese society, non-black hair is considered "disrespectful" or "unnatural". Tohru helps her to come out of her shell, and she develops quite an attachment to Tohru, calling her "big sister" ("oneechan"). Dislikes dry foods and loves an anime series called "Mogeta". Usually seen around Hiro or Momiji. Her mother is extremely protective of her and worries about her often.
• Hiro Sohma, est.11 (草摩燈路 Sōma Hiro) - Hiro, the Sheep of the zodiac, is a snotty, smart-mouthed brat (albeit brilliant to speak with such wit at his age). He is in love with Kisa, and resents Tohru because she monopolizes Kisa's time and attention. He starts out being hostile to Tohru, but eventually eases his initial attitude through a combination of grudging admiration for Tohru and Kisa telling him to let up. He is sarcastic and pessimistic. In the manga, his pregnant mother, whom seems to be just as careless and klutzy as Tohru, might just add to Hiro's annoyance of Tohru with her resemblance to his mother in her forgetfulness and childlike happy personality.
• Hatori Sohma, 27 (草摩はとり Sōma Hatori) - The Dragon of the Zodiac and the private doctor to the Sohma clan, Hatori is a very serious and humorless type. It is his job to erase the memories of those who discover the Sohma clan secret, though it's not entirely clear if this is simply a form of hypnosis, or more of a supernatural power. When his curse activates, he turns into a seahorse rather than a giant fire-breathing lizard, because the Chinese consider the seahorse to be baby dragons and the actual name in Japanese translates to it. He is very self-conscious about his transformation in the fact that he is the "great and powerful dragon" but appears as a "seahorse". Has had a bad experience in love with his "Spring", a girl named Kana who was his assistant in high school when he worked as student body vice president. Like Shigure and Ayame, he is very tall, and he is really a nice man when looked at more closely. He is to be married to Mayuko-sensei in the Fruits Basket canon arc.
• Ayame Sohma, 27 (草摩綾女 Sōma Ayame) - The Snake of the zodiac, and big brother to Yuki, Ayame is vivacious, garrulous, and has a knack for making Yuki and Kyo angry. He runs a business that makes women's clothing (men included), and he often wears women's clothing himself. He named his shop after himself and runs it with Mine, his best friend and seamstress of the store (Ayame designs the dresses, erotic as some or all of them may be). Vain and (just slightly and secretly) self-conscious, he is really a thoughtful person underneath his "selective" skin. Has piercing yellow eyes and white hair compared to Yuki's violet and grey. Has a fear of being totally alone. Much to Yuki's chagrin and surprise, was actually student body president in high school.
• Hatsuharu Sohma, 15 (草摩溌春 Sōma Hatsuharu), "Haru" - The Ox of the Zodiac, Haru has something of a Jekyll and Hyde personality related to the Ox's personality. He is usually calm and placid (White Haru), like the Ox is usually calm and placid, but can be goaded into "stampeding", where he's edgy and mean and slightly oversexed (Black Haru); White Haru is conscious during his "black" transformation, but is unable to do anything about it. He just either apologizes or doesn't care. Additionally, Haru has a rather bad sense of direction, but not nearly as bad as that of Ryoga Hibiki of Ranma 1/2. Has a bicycle (lost somewhere in his travels). Likes to make fun of Kyo passively and wants to fight with him on a regular basis.
• Momiji Sohma, 15 (草摩 紅葉 Sōma Momiji) - A painfully adorable and seemingly androgynous teenager with a depressing family life that he hides behind his smile and fun-loving attitude. His endless enthusiasm and cuteness often annoys Kyo. He is older than he looks, much to Tohru's surprise. Momiji is the Rabbit of the Zodiac and is the son of one of the richer people of the Sohma family (his father is Japanese while Momiji's mother is German) and Tohru actually unknowingly cleans the building for her job. Has a younger sister named Momo who can only speak German. Is actually very insightful and emotionally strong despite his upbringing and appearance. He took to Tohru very quickly, he even ignored the fact that he was a Zodiac and hugged her when they were formally introduced (of course, he does that usually anyway when they meet). Much to Kyo's horror, Momiji likes to wear the girl's version of their high school uniform (albeit with short shorts and not a skirt).
• Ritsu Sohma, est.20 (草摩利津 Sōma Ritsu) - The Monkey of the zodiac, Ritsu has very low self-esteem and is often seen apologizing for everything. He takes after his mom, the hostess of a hot spring that the Sohma's own. He dresses like a female (often in his trademark full kimono) because he feels that cross-dressing calms him down, and is often mistaken as a woman because of his long hair and freakishly convincing beauty for a man. Ritsu often blames things on himself that have nothing to do with him, and occasionally becomes suicidal. Has an odder quirk of having some sort of "special" spot on his side that, when pressed, makes him keel over and faint. Shigure likes to play with his odd personality and mess with Ritsu. Most Sohma's call him "Ritchan" (either affectionately, or teasingly because of his womanly features) and to Shigure's amusement, Tohru calls him "Ritchan-san".
• Isuzu Sohma, 17-18 (草摩依鈴 Sōma Isuzu), "Rin" - Isuzu is the Horse of the Chinese Zodiac (Jyuunishi). She is often called Rin by a few members of the family because 'suzu' translates to 'small bell' in Japanese, and 'Rin' is the sound a small bell makes. Apparently, she and Hatsuharu used to have a close sexual relationship together, until Akito found out about it and hurt Rin severely, causing her to be admitted to the hospital for some time. Hatsuharu visited her while she was in the hospital, but Rin broke up with Haru, not giving a reason why, though it is later known that she didn't want him to be hurt by Akito if they continued the relationship. Rin's character is cold and angst-ridden. She thinks of Tohru Honda as an annoyance to the Sohmas, but eventually warms up to her little by little because of the kindness Tohru gives in return. She only appears in the manga, not the anime. Famous for her tough and independent nature and darkly exquisite sexiness within the Sohma family. Also, she is known for a trait of her zodiac animal: sheer stubbornness and independence. Anyone who usually tries to go against those feelings get a taste of Rin's high-heel boots.
• Kureno Sohma, 26 - The Rooster of the Jyuunishi. He does not like others to see his animal form. He has somehow lost the curse of the Jyuunishi. He was Akito's constant companion after Yuki. Akito likes to keep him away from the other members of the Zodiac. When he went to a convenience store (for the first time at the age of 26), he met Arisa. She developed a crush on him, but he stays away from her because he feels it is better if he does not love her back. He only appears in the manga. Was described by Arisa (to Hanajima's curiosity) as a "male-version of Tohru" with his over-the-top politeness and scatterbrained idiosyncrasies. Kureno seems to be described as "broken-in" by some members of the Sohma family.
• Ren Sohma, est. 35 or older - Akito's mother. Raised Akito as a man, other than a woman. Ren believes Akito should treat the Jyuunishi with love, rather than make them miserable. Akito does not agree, and the two get in disputes over it. Ren also admits that she would rather be in heaven with her husband Akira than on Earth with Akito. She only appears in the manga. Has reputedly slept with Shigure to aggravate Akito.