Honda Kyoko

Honda Kyoko is Tohru's mother,and Katsuya wife. She was once a gang leader (also called a Yankee) and was given the nickname "Red Butterfly", because "Whenever Kyoko rode her bike, all you'd see were her tail lights fly right past you, like a red butterfly tearing into the night!" as Arisa stated.

Background
Kyoko was born into a cold household. Her father never thought about his family, and her mother only cared about her husband and her appearance. As a result, they barely paid Kyoko any attention, resulting in her feeling neglected. She joined a gang, even before she got into middle school, and she barely showed up at school. As she grew up, she saw the world as a bleak place, until she met Katsuya Honda. They spent a lot of time together and they both developed crushes on each other. She began going back to school and ditching her gang. After her gang beat her up, she was hospitalized. She couldn't take the high school entrance exams as a result. When she was discharged, she returned home to find her father dropping a bag of her belongings in front of her and declaring that he was disinheriting her and disowning her all together.

Katsuya then turned up and gave them a bit of a lecture for choosing to banish their daughter because she "didn't turn out the way they wanted". He then  asked Kyoko to marry him to her father's complete shock. He then asks if her father objects, which he doesn't since he no longer considers Kyoko his daughter. Kyoko and Katsuya then left and married shortly afterwards. Tohru would be born some years later.

Appearance
When Kyoko was young she had very long dyed hair and would often wear her gang's usual garb of long coats and bandaged. She has purple eyes and it would appear that she dyed her hair to be rebellious. Her hair is depicted as strawberry blonde in illustrations and has no shading in the manga. As an adult she cut her hair short and is often seen in casual clothing in the Photographs that Tohru keeps of her.

Personality
Kyoko's personality changed overtime. As a teenager, before meeting Katsuya, she had personality traits that resembled both Tohru and Arisa. She was prone to violence and would easily jumped to conclusions and wild assumptions. On top of that, she could hold her own in a fist fight. However, deep in her heart, she did all this to get attention from her parents. All she wanted was for someone to start caring for her and to nurture her with love.

Fruits Basket (Anime)
Kyoko is only mention by Tohru,and Arisa. Kyoko is only seen in flashback, that are remember deeply by her Daughter.

Fruits Basket (Manga)
Kyoko was born into a cold household. Her father never thought about his family, and her mother only cared about her husband and her appearance. As a result, they barely paid Kyoko any attention, resulting in her feeling neglected. She joined a gang, even before she got into middle school, and she barely showed up at school. As she grew up, she saw the world as a bleak place, until she met Katsuya Honda. They spent a lot of time together and they both developed crushes on each other. She began going back to school and ditching her gang. After her gang beat her up, she was hospitalized. She couldn't take the high school entrance exams as a result. When she was discharged, she returned home to find her father dropping a bag of her belongings in front of her and declaring that he was disinheriting her and disowning her all together.

Katsuya then turned up and gave them a bit of a lecture for choosing to banish their daughter because she "didn't turn out the way they wanted". He then  asked Kyoko to marry him to her father's complete shock. He then asks if her father objects, which he doesn't since he no longer considers Kyoko his daughter. Kyoko and Katsuya then left and married shortly afterwards. Tohru would be born some years later.

Kyoko had met Kyo when he was sitting in a place filled with unwanted pipes. She didn't care who he was or where he had come from but she knew that he was lonely, just like she was. Despite Kyo trying to distance himself from her (not liking the fact that they share almost similar names), Kyoko blatantly talks about Tohru, saying that her world revolves around Tohru. Despite their first meeting, Kyoko showed a picture of Tohru to Kyo without hesitation.

Eventually, they started warming up with each other and subsequently, Kyo learned of the Hondas address and would drop by secretly to spy on Tohru.

One day Tohru goes missing, causing Kyoko great distress. Kyo finds out what happened and promised to look for her, but Yuki found her first. Kyoko was holding the hat that Yuki left when Kyo returned from his search, and recognized it as his old hat that Yuki had found. He was angry that Kyoko had "sided with that guy". Kyoko tried explaining that it didn't matter if he was bad or not, but Kyo ran off, calling her a traitor.

Arisa was also a Yankee, and she idolized "The Red Butterfly". She bumped into Tohru and Tohru told Arisa about how her mom was Kyoko Honda. Arisa threatened to punch Tohru, but didn't, and went to Tohru's house after school to meet Kyoko. They were walking home when Kyoko jumped out and hugged Tohru. Arisa was introduced to the retired Yankee. Arisa was disgusted on the fact of Kyoko being cute, and motherly.

Angry, Arisa left Tohru's house. Then, Arisa realized she wanted a life like Tohru's the more she hung out with her. Arisa, brave and scared, told her gang members that she was leaving the gang, and she would take whatever punishment. The gang started to beat up Arisa, then Kyoko, wearing her "Red Butterfly" jacket, came in, and saved Arisa, bringing her back to their house with Tohru waiting. When Kyoko died she gave her Red Butterfly jacket to Arisa.

Saki Hanajima is a friend of Tohru's (Tohru and Arisa call her Hana-chan). Tohru and Hana met in their second year of middle school after Hanajima transferred to her school after being severely bullied at her old school.She always wears black to show that she is a sinner. This is because she blames herself for the near death of a classmate in elementary school, because she said that she wanted him to die and used her waves to hurt him.

She wanted to turn herself into the police for what she had done except her parents denied her guilt saying that there wasn't any evidence of her guilt. She is known for being able to sense electric waves and has a little brother who can put curses on people. He just has to know their names. He's known for putting a curse on the leaders of the Prince Yuki Fan Club. (The result of one of these curses was the 2nd year rep's role as the evil stepmother in the play "Sorta Cinderella".) Saki has black hair and when she is at school instead of wearing black she paints her nails black.

Every morning, when Kyoko left for work, Tohru would say "Come home safe!"

The morning Tohru overslept from studying and didn't say that, Kyoko died in a car accident.

She was at a traffic junction, waiting to cross the road. Kyo had been standing behind her but out of guilt could not talk to her due to his rashness when they went when he was younger. Apparently, as she crossed the road, a car sped at her (it was said that it seemed like speeding towards her only). Kyo could have dragged Kyoko away but he couldn't because it would reveal his curse in turn. Kyoko gets knocked down by the car and lies on the road, slowly bleeding to death as an ambulance was on the way.

As life replayed over her, Kyoko wished that she had loved Tohru even more. She wondered whether she had given enough love to Tohru that Katsuya couldn't. Kyoko knew she couldn't die just yet. Tohru had just entered high school, something she couldn't do. She wept as she could feel her life sweeping away, knowing that Tohru would be left all alone now.

In afterlife, she was shown crying in her middle school form. She, however, started to cry tears of joy when she finally 'reunites' with her late husband, telling her she has done a good job on raising Tohru with love that he could not.

Her Parents
Kyoko never really had a loving relationship with her parents, as her father never thought about his family and her mother only cared about her image and her husband. As a result, Kyoko was neglected by them. As Kyoko told Kyo Sohma, They never went out as a family and rarely even ate together. She couldn't even remember being held either.

Mr. Katsunuma shouted at Kyoko one time that are people that are needed and people who aren't, and that she was the latter. Mrs. Katsunuma then cried to Kyoko why she was like this, she said "Do you realize how angry your father will be at me, do you know what the neighbours are saying", only being concerned about herself.

After Kyoko was sent to hospital after being beaten up by her gang for leaving them, her parents refused to go to the hospital to visit her.

After Kyoko was discharged and returned to the household, her father dropped a bag full of her belongs and both her mother and father disowned her. at that time Katsuya Honda (Whom Kyoko had befriended and fallen in love with) turned up and proposed marriage to Kyoko. Both he and Kyoko left the Katsunuma household and never returned since.

After Katsuya's death from illness many years later, her father rang Kyoko to tell her not to bother coming back to the house, as he and her mother had no intention of taking her back.

Kyoko never reconciled with her parents as she was killed in a road accident later on in adulthood.

It is unknown if they know about their daughter's death, as Tohru doesn't know her maternal grandparents.

Honda Katsuya
Their relationship was very strong and in love with each other. One day after being sent to the principal's office for her street fashion and threatening the other teachers with a chair, Katsuya Honda went in the room and talked to her. He tells her that he thinks that she wants to love people and be loved herself. She breaks down in tears and confesses that she feels alone. As her time in middle school continued, she spent most of her time talking to Katsuya and eventually starts to fall in love with him.

Even though he had ended his job as a trainee teacher at Kyoko's school, Katsuya still helps her study for the high school entrance exams, however she is beaten up and hospitalized by her gang before she even gets the chance to take them. After her parents disown her, Katsuya turns up at her house suddenly and gives them a lecture for choosing to turn their backs on their daughter because she "didn't turn out the way they wanted" and then proposes marriage. He told her that he fell in love with her because she cried and confessed to being lonely, where he could not.

Kyoko and Katsuya then marry later on. although the other Honda family members were opposed to the marriage, Katsuya's father gave the two his blessing.

They shifted to a ocean viewing house as Kyoko loved the ocean deeply. Daily, they would lead their lives care-freely, with Katsuya always saying, "Welcome home." to Kyoko whenever he reaches home earlier than Kyoko.

Kyoko got a shock when she found out that she was pregnant. Afraid of giving birth to a child, she secretly went to a hospital to check without telling Katsuya. When he came home, Kyoko told him that she was pregnant and broke down. She feared that their child would hate her since she was a gangster in her past and worried if she would be bad on being a mother. She recalls the time when she had yelled at her mother on wishing the latter hadn't had her. Kyoko broke down with great grief. Katsuya told her that it would be fine and their child would accept her. Eventually, Kyoko and Katsuya had a daughter and named her Tohru.

On the last time they spoke to each other, Katsuya had suggested to Kyoko on wanting Tohru to have a sibling and Kyoko was delighted.

Kyoko was devastated by Katsuya's death from pneumonia (which wasn't found early) and nearly committed suicide.

Tohru's Grandfather
Although the other Honda family members were opposed to the marriage, Katsuya's father gave the two his blessing.

Honda Tohru
Kyoko and Tohru have a loving relationship. Kyoko is Tohru's loving mother and has raised her as a single mother. Kyoko holds a very special place in Tohru's heart. Tohru always desires to be attached to her mother and constantly thinks about her mother. In many episodes, we see flashbacks of Kyoko hugging and telling Tohru that she is so cute and that she loves her so much. They both share many memories. Wherever Tohru goes, she is always carrying a photograph in a frame of her mother smiling while holding a peace sign.

Sohma Kyo
She soon met Kyo Sohma, and became like a mother to him. When Tohru got lost, Kyo promised to look for her, but Yuki found her first. Kyoko was holding the hat that Yuki left, and Kyo recognized it as the hat Yuki found. He was angry that Kyoko had "sided with that guy". Kyoko tried explaining that it didn't matter if he was bad or not, but Kyo ran off, calling her a traitor. Before he could run, she called, "Don't forget your promise!" Kyo was present at the time Kyoko died, but he couldn't save her.

Kyo and Kyoko were standing on the street, waiting to cross the street and then Kyoko walked on and Kyo saw that a car was coming but afraid of changing into his animal form and didn't pull her back and ultimately it led to Kyoko getting into a car accident and Kyo has never been able to forgive himself for being selfish and not saving Kyoko who is the mother of the woman he loved, Tohru. When Kyoko noticed him, she said, "I won't forgive you..." Kyo ran away, but it turns out that what she meant to say was, "I won't forgive you unless you keep your promise to protect Tohru".

Uotani Arisa
Arisa idolized "The Red Butterfly". She bumped into Tohru and Tohru told Arisa about how her mom was Kyoko Honda. Arisa threatened to punch Tohru, but didn't, and went to Tohru's house after school to meet Kyoko. They were walking home when Kyoko jumped out and hugged Tohru. Arisa was introduced to the retired Yankee. Arisa was disgusted on the fact of Kyoko being cute, and motherly.

Angry, Arisa left Tohru's house. Then, Arisa realized she wanted a life like Tohru's the more she hung out with her. Arisa, brave and scared, told her gang members that she was leaving the gang, and she would take whatever punishment. The gang started to beat up Arisa, then Kyoko, wearing her "Red Butterfly" jacket, came in, and saved Arisa, bringing her back to their house with Tohru waiting.

Hanajima Saki
Saki and Kyoko had a long lasting friendship.She gave Saki advice ,when she was fillling sad.

Knownable Relatives

 * Honda Katsuya (Husband/decreased)
 * Honda Tohru (daughter)
 * Tohru's Grandfather (father in law)
 * Sohma Kyo (son in law)

Trivia

 * She has never appeared during present time, only through mentions or flashbacks.
 * She is known as the "Red Butterfly" by gangs.
 * She is Arisa's idol and mother figure.
 * Her english voice actress also does Kyo mother's voice.

Voice Actresses
Japanese : Reiko Yashara

English : Julie Mayfield