Honda Tohru (本田 透) is the main character of the Fruits Basket series.
She is the only daughter of Kyoko and Katsuya, both who are dead from an unnatural cause. After Yuki and Shigure discovered Tohru living in a tent on their property which Shigure found oddly hilarious, so they invite her to live with them when the tent breaks from a bad land slide. She moves into the house with Shigure, Yuki and later on Kyo. She worked part time to support herself, and help pay off her tuition fee when she was living on her own. She continues to work there despite moving into Shigure's house. In adulthood she marries Kyo and has three children with him.
Background
Tohru was born as an only child to Honda Kyoko, and Honda Katsuya during the Year of the Dog. Her father however died when she was very young at the age of three, so she was pretty much raised by her mother alone. Since her mother was considered as a single parent or a widow by others. Tohru and her mother were extremely close and even spent much time together. Tohru loved mostly when her mother told her stories, especially ones about the Chinese Zodiac. Tohru always became upset when ever she heard of how the Cat was ignored, even wishing that she could be born in the Year of the Cat instead of the Dog, even though the Year of the Cat did not exist.
She was also being taking care of by her kindhearted elderly grandfather on her father's side when her mother was going through a difficult time after her father's sudden tragic death as her other grandparents from her mother's side didn't even want nothing or anything to do with her and her mother. Her father's relatives according to her grandfather also thought that she was someone else's child and they didn't like her at all that much either.
Aside from her life at home with her mother, Tohru was often a victim of bullying at school. The young children (mostly boys) would play a game called "Fruits Basket", and Tohru would always be assigned as the rice ball, in which is not a real fruit. The children did this to exclude her out from the game, though Tohru just stayed positive, while hoping that someone would call out rice ball so she could play as well. She was afraid to tell her mother about this at first but she cry in joy when her mother told her it was alright that she had the courage to tell her that she was being bullied.
Years later when Tohru was in middle school, she would sometimes get a fever and cook by herself when her mother told her to stay in bed. Tohru enjoys doing things instead of being bore and lazy. However her mother tells her it's alright to be selfish once in a while. While in school one day Arisa had always looked up to Tohru's mother, who had been famously known as the Red Butterfly. Arisa has wanted to find out if The Red Butterfly's own daughter might go to her school, she went to school that day hoping that she could meet Kyoko through her daughter. But when Arisa finally met Tohru, she was going to punch her teeth out because she didn't believe such a 'spacey, plain girl' could be Kyoko's daughter.
When Arisa finally met Kyoko, who had become a loving 'housewife', her entire image of her idol came crashing down. Though Arisa vowed to stay away from the Hondas, she kept ending up at their house through a chain of coincidences. Before she knew it, she and Tohru were best friends, and Arisa even started going to school again so she could see more of Tohru. Arisa decided to leave her gang so that she "could become someone Tohru would be proud to call her a friend".
In response to this declaration, she was beaten half to death by her gang. But during the beating Kyoko suddenly appeared and saved her. Kyoko explained that Arisa's senpai came to Kyoko's house and told her Arisa's decision, and that Kyoko was impressed by Arisa's action. Tohru waited at home while her mother went to rescue Arisa, when Kyoko came back with Arisa. Tohru was happy that Arisa was alright. In Tohru and Arisa's next year of middle school they met Saki, Tohru gave Saki extra food at lunch, and was always smiling and friendly. Saki thought Tohru was a little too optimistic and joyful. As she made her way to a table in the corner, Arisa called out to her saying: "Hey, new kid, you`re probably going to sit alone. I hate that, so sit down here".
Tohru then came over a few minutes later, and was overjoyed that Saki was sitting with them. When Saki tells them they are a little weird, they shrug it off and say out loud: "Thanks! We get that alot!". After they all start a growing friendship, a girl who passes Saki in the hall asks: "Saki, is it true? Did you really almost kill someone?" Tohru and Arisa found out, but that didn't stop them from ruining their friendship. But when Tohru and Arisa accepted her, she finally accepted herself, and the trio became a team ever since.
Before graduating middle school, Tohru was told by her mother to graduate high school because it was something that Kyoko never got to accomplish in her life. She wants this for Tohru so she can see how it feels to hold a diploma in her hands. She would also cook food for her mother whenever her mother had to go to work.
One day Tohru overslept, and did not see her mother leave work. She would always say "I love you, be safe!" to her mother before she left for work. On that day though, Tohru's mother was killed in a car accident. Tohru still blames herself for her mother's death, since she did not say "I love you, be safe!" to her that morning. She only saw her mother's dead body when she had arrived at the hospital and cried uncontrollably upon seeing that her mother wasn't responding to her.
After her mother's death, Tohru moved in with her grandfather for a while. Her grandfather told her that he was getting his house remodeled, and asked her if she had a place to stay. Not wanting him to worry about her, Tohru lied and said that she would stay with one of her friends. Tohru didn't have the heart to ask Uo or Hana if she could stay with one of them, so she got a tent and lived in that for a short while. She didn't know however that she was living on the property of the Sohma family though.
Personality
Tohru Honda is an extremely kind hearted, and over optimistic girl who refuses to let anyone lift a finger for her, and at times she gets very spacey. She is very loving, and finds things that wouldn't usually be that funny pretty funny. Her lovingness is proven multiple times, usually it is directed towards her mother, and all of her friends. She can also be seen as slightly naive too. She is very considerate, and if somethings happens that would agrivate an average person, she commonly just smiles and moves on. This also proves her braveness, which is shown multiple times- like when she allowes all of her friends to go off and have fun during New Year's Eve, and when they come back home after finding out that this her first New Year's Eve without her mother, they find her crying, and they realized just how brave she really was.
She is also brave when she stands up to Akito, who has been hurting Yuki. Her friends sometimes call her "a pushover". As a result, Ayame and Hiro seem to order her around. She makes sure everything is nice and clean in Shigure's house and promises to pay anyone back who treats her. For example, when Yuki explains to her that the area where her tent was set up was Sohma property, she says that she would stay there for only another week, and that she would pay them with what little money she had if they let her stay on the property.
Isuzu aka Rin thought that she and Hatsuharu were too nice, as did Kureno. Akiko thought that Tohru was an idiot because she was too kind and willing to forgive anyone for anything that they've done to her. Tohru is constantly cleaning up and enjoying housework and doesn't mind doing things for others. For example, in Volume 12, she made tea for Shishou while visiting him.
As the series goes on, she grows more serious and emotional, oftentimes to the point of crying, and becomes embittered towards the circumstances of the Sohma curse. She continues to act optimistic and cheerful outwardly, but characters who know her well recognize she is struggling to remain hopeful. Upon breaking the curse, she returns to her normal state.
Like her late mother in law, Tohru was afraid of Kyo's true form. Despite this she surpassed her late mother in law by loving Kyo while not being overprotective of him and fighting on to embrace his curse.
Appearance
Tohru Honda is an average height, average weight and size girl with long brown hair that can sometime look as deep as black in certain cases, and front bangs/fringe that frame her brown eyes (blue in the 2001 anime, brown in the manga/2019 anime). She has multiple facial expressions, that can vary from confused expressions, to just trying to act smart. She almost always has blue colored bows in her hair but they're sometimes yellow and purple. She either wears a large one in the back or two smaller ones pulling back her hair at the sides.
She wears a white and blue sailor striped school uniform. It is a blue mini-skirt with ruffles on the bottom, and a white and blue top and jacket with a small tie-like thing to top it all off. She wears blue socks that go up to mid-shin. She wears brown shoes that are slip on. This is the outfit she is most commonly seen in, although she is known for wearing dresses as well, as long as they are short. One of the only times Tohru is seen wearing a long dress is when she played the not-so-evil stepsister in the school play, Sorta Cinderella in the manga.
Despite the splash images between chapters and volumes that depict the cast in nicer fashion, Tohru wears simple and practical clothes when she is not in her uniform. Her work uniform as a janitor is a light blue shirt and pants. She wears whites gloves and styles her hair in pigtails, which she covers with a white bandana. Her swimsuit is a one piece with daisies. The only times she dresses up is when other characters like Ayame Sohma or Mine Kuramae dress her.
In the 2019 anime, she wears different color bows in her hair.
Abilities
Fruits Basket Manga
A week after Tohru saw Kyo in his true form, she and the Sohmas head for a private beach to enjoy their Summer Vacation.
Akito calls attended the beach trip as well and kept a close eye on Tohru. Akito noticed how Kyo was acting around Tohru and he spoke to Kyo, taunting him about how he is a monster. Akito also went to visit Tohru before leaving and he told her to stop interfering with the Zodiac. Tohru did not want to stop, and she believed that she could break the curse of the Chinese Zodiac. Time is running out to save Kyo though, since after the Cat completes high school, the Cat is to live a life in complete isolation.
Tohru went to see Kazuma, and asked if he knew how to break the curse. Kazuma told her that he does not know how to break the curse. While Tohru was trying to break the curse, she learned that another member of the Chinese Zodiac, Rin was also trying to do the same. Tohru also met Kureno, who was the former rooster of the Zodiac, who had the curse broken somehow. But he does not know why it was broken for him. Tohru later on overheard a conversation between Rin and Shigure, and learned that the curse would be broken soon because all of the animals are alive together. Tohru asked him how soon it will happen, and admitted that the one she wanted to save the most was Kyo.
Tohru also had begun to feel guilty about falling in love with Kyo, since she believed that she was replacing her love for her mother. When Tohru admitted her love for Kyo, he accused her of loving him even though he is "a little loopy" and he says "I'm disillusioned". Tohru also learned that Kyo could have saved her mother, since he was there at her death, but it would have caused him to transform. Kyo blamed himself for her death. When Kyo cannot accept Tohru's love for him, he ran away and Tohru followed him. She is stopped by Akito though, who is jealous that Tohru had won. Tohru tried to have a fresh start with Akito, offering it to her/him. However the cliff she was on collapsed and she fell.
Due to Akito's changing and accepting of Tohru, the curse was lifted and Akito decided to let go of the control over the members of the Zodiac. Tohru and Kyo met yet again and Kyo apologized for not accepting her love. Tohru asked Kyo if she could hug him, and Kyo is uneasy because he is unsure if he will transform. But when Tohru hugged him, he stayed the same. The cat's curse was lifted also due to Tohru's true love for him. All of the other members of the Sohma family are able to lead regular lives now that the curse is broken.
After becoming a couple, Tohru and Kyo go on their first date, accompanied by Saki and Arisa. After the date, Kyo asks Tohru to accompany him to a certain place: Kyoko's grave. When they arrive, they talk about the past, and Tohru once again is steadfast in her belief that Kyoko did not hold any ill feelings towards Kyo (which is later confirmed to be true). Upon hearing this and accepting his past with Kyoko, Kyo proposes the idea of moving away together, since he wants to learn all kind of things now that he is free from the curse. He wanted Tohru along with his journey, and Tohru emotionally accepts. She and Kyo are shown packing to move to another city to continue his martial arts training, so that eventually he can inherit Kazuma's dojo.
During her last day in Shigure's house before moving out with Kyo, Yuki visits the house for the last time as well. He finds Tohru doing to laundry, and upon seeing him, Tohru happily exclaims "Welcome home". Yuki then begins expressing how grateful he is towards Tohru, gives his thanks to her for what she has done for the Sohma family, but most of all, how she had helped him grow into the man he is today, and how she had been like a mother-figure for him. Tohru is visibly surprised, but nonetheless sheds a few tears and smiles brightly by Yuki's words. The story ends with Tohru and Yuki exchanging a handshake.
Tohru and Kyo enter a committed relationship with one another, and Tohru is last seen walking hand in hand with Kyo in their old age, as their children and grandchildren talk about their love fondly.
In the sequel, Tohru is never seen and is only mentioned in different conversations. Hajime remarks on how his friend, Sawa Mitoma, reminds him of his mother in terms of speech. Mutsuki Sohma mentions that Tohru and Kyo live in the countryside with their younger children while Hajime commutes from home to attend school, though they will eventually return to the city one day. Tohru is also seen in a memory flashback as silhouettes with Kyo, Machi, Yuki and her unnamed son as Hajime played with Mutsuki when they were children. When Hajime graduated from middle school, Tohru and Kyo told Hajime about the Zodiacs Curse and Kyo's past with the Cat's spirit.
Fruits Basket (2001 Anime)
Tohru Honda, a high school girl, is introduced to Yuki Sohma and Shigure Sohma, as she passes by a house with little figurines of the Chinese Zodiac laid out on the front porch. Since her mother, Kyoko Honda, recently died in a car accident and her father, Katsuya Honda, died when she was young,she subsequently moved in with her grandfather. However, due to her grandfather's house needing renovation, she takes to living in a tent on the Sohma lands. After Yuki and Shigure eventually become aware of this, they invite her to into their home, working as a housekeeper in return for room and board. Not long after, Kyo Sohma invades the dwelling to challenge Yuki. However, Tohru, in an attempt to stop the chaos,accidentally embracing each of them, finds out that Kyo, Yuki, and Shigure turn into a cat, a Rat, and Dog, respectively.
Tohru discovers the Sohma family secret; the thirteen members of the Sohma family are possessed by the vengeful spirits of the animals of the Chinese Zodiac, and they transform into said animals if embraced by the opposite gender. Later, Yuki confronts Tohru concerning the family secret, and he warns that her memory of the family secret might be erased. Meanwhile, Shigure visits Akito Sohma, the head of the Sohma family, who decides to entrust Tohru with the Sohma secret. Shigure mentions that he has registered Kyo for high school, forcing Kyo to live with the others.
Yuki confronts Kyo about his anti-social behavior during his first day of school. Kyo reveals that while Yuki may want nothing more than to escape the Sohmas, he himself only wants to be accepted as a real member of the family. Tohru stops the two of them fighting by accidentally hugging Kyo, who yells at her in anger. Later on, Kyo meets Tohru in the forest on her way home to apologize for all the trouble he caused. Tohru forgives him, and the two reconcile. The next day, Yuki picks her up from work and she accidentally makes him transform into a Rat. Yuki reverts back to human form, and in an attempt to save them from the rain, takes Tohru to his secret garden where they try their best to cover the vegetables. Yuki confesses that he is only kind so others will like him, and admits that he is not as charming and polite as he appears. Tohru responds by saying that kindness comes and grows in all shapes and sizes.
After hearing he was living with Shigure, Kagura Sohma, the Boar of the zodiac, pays Kyo a visit, much to his chagrin. Tohru is surprised to discover that Kagura is actually older than them, despite her appearance. Kagura is madly in love with Kyo, and she is displayed as having dissociative identity disorder. Kagura is clumsy and ill-mannered, and causes quite the ruckus in the household. At first Kagura is envious of Tohru, due to her living situation with Kyo, but she ends up befriending Tohru before departing at the end of the episode.
Tohru finally goes back to living with her paternal grandfather, as his house renovations are complete. However, this turns out to be harder for Tohru than she thought, and leaves the Sohma family despondent. Joining Tohru in her grandfather's house is her paternal family, who view her more as a burden than a blessing. After a series of situations in which they are shown to be verbally abusive, Tohru's grandfather urges her to go where she would be happier. Yuki and Kyo arrive to retrieve her as she confesses that she is more satisfied living with the Sohma family. They all return to their house to meet up with Shigure. Tohru is happy to continue her new life living with the Sohma family.
Tohru invites her friends, Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima, to the Sohma household residence. Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure worry about what will happen if Arisa and Saki discover the Sohma family secret. The three struggle as they try to get acquainted with the girls while hiding their nervousness. Over the course of the visit, the boys have numerous encounters making contact with the girls, thereby transforming into their animal forms. Arisa and Saki, unaware of their transformations, become very suspicious, and Tohru gets increasingly nervous after each close call. Arisa and Saki soon realize that Tohru belongs in the Sohma household residence, after seeing how the Sohma family admires her, and depart none the wiser.
The high school is planning cultural festival, blueprinting a creative idea regarding rice balls. The class picks Yuki's hit-or-miss method over Kyo's all-or-nothing plan. Tohru realizes that Yuki and Kyo admire each other, comparing them to rice balls with pickled plums on their backs. During the cultural festival, Yuki is asked to wear a dress, much to his humiliation. Soon thereafter, Momiji Sohma and Hatori Sohma, the Rabbit and Dragon of the Chinese Zodiac respectively, pay a visit. Tohru learns from Hatori that Yuki has asthma, though it is steadily becoming less severe. Momiji insists on hugging Tohru just to transform into a Rabbit, causing complications for everyone. Yuki warns Tohru to not be alone with Hatori. Hatori privately enjoins her to visit the Sohma main residence, after which Tohru becomes worried that her memories may be erased.
Tohru is amazed at the grandeur of the Sohma main residence. Hatori calls for her in his room, where she is told more about the Sohma family secret. Later, Momiji tells Tohru of the history of Hatori. It is revealed that he was involved with Kana Sohma, and that his left eye was injured by Akito. However, due to the fact that Kana knew so much about the Sohma family secret, he was forced to erase her memories. As it begins to snow, Hatori notices how strongly Tohru resembles Kana. Tohru accidentally slips off the front porch of the room, Hatori embraces her to break her fall, and turns into a Seahorse, rather than a Dragon. Once he reverts back, after drying off, Shigure turns up with Momiji and hot drinks. On the way home, Tohru catches a glimpse of Akito but does not officially meet him.
While Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo, along with Arisa and Saki, help spruce up the Sohma household residence for New Year's Day, Shigure is harassed by his editor, Mitsuru, finish his manuscript. After Mitsuru is given the manuscript and after Arisa and Saki help clean the house, Tohru is told that the boys will be spending their New Year's Day at a banquet held in the main residence. However, Yuki and Kyo have their own excuses not to go to. Shigure convinces the two to attend the banquet, but the three are stopped by Saki, who subtly convinces Yuki and Kyo to stay with Tohru, who would otherwise be spending the day alone, while Shigure goes on to the main residence alone. Shigure informs Akito of Yuki and Kyo's absence. Meanwhile Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo watch the sunrise together, making wishes for the New Year.
Yuki comes down with a fever. Although Tohru tries to convince him to stay home, he accepts a challenge from Kyo to a contest: he must win the endurance run at school the following day. Tohru meets Hatsuharu, the Ox of the Chinese zodiac, during the endurance run. It is shown that Hatsuharu also has dissociative identity disorder, and he intentionally trips Kyo during the challenge against Yuki. He has come to challenge Kyo, and the two engage in hand-to-hand combat. However, as Tohru and Yuki watch the two fight, Yuki feverishly collapses. Hatsuharu clasps Tohru, to which he transforms into a cow, instead of an Ox, and is to carry Yuki back to the household residence. Later on, Hatsuharu explains to Tohru why he used to hate the clever Rat for insulting the foolish Ox. However, he further explains how he later on forgave himself for being envious of Yuki.
On Valentine's Day, Tohru decides to buy chocolates for Sohma relatives that she had recently met to thank them for everything they've done for her. Meanwhile, Kyo has to deal with Kagura and refuses to eat her chocolate. After a month, the high school was the midterm exams. Shortly thereafter, Tohru decides to work overtime, but to unknown reasons. Later in the evening, Momiji comes by the household residence to invite Tohru to a trip to a hot springs resort for White Day, to which Yuki and Kyo would eventually tag along. Shigure gets a phone call from Tohru's grandfather saying that the fees for her class trip haven't been paid, and Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure then realized that she used her money earned in order to buy chocolates for everyone. Kyo becomes aggravated, knowing that she could have spent all the money for herself rather than for everyone else. Momiji tells a story of a foolish traveler who seemed too generous and was always tricked. He compares the traveler to Tohru, commenting on how she gives so that everyone can be happy even if she is not.
Tohru, Yuki, Kyo, and Momiji go to the Sohma hot springs resort. The group is startled by the hostess of the host springs resort, and she later apologizes repeatedly for her actions. Tohru eventually learns that she becomes lightheaded when in the hot springs bath, especially when Momiji helps her sing with him. The hostess later reveals to Tohru that her son is a member of the Chinese zodiac. Later on Tohru plays ping-pong with Kyo, but she misses the ball served by him. As Yuki leaves the room, Tohru follows him, discovering that he admits he would have been ashamed to laugh in front of Kyo and Momiji. He then surprises her with a gift for White Day, two gold hair ribbons fit for a real princess. Afterwards, Tohru finds out that Momiji and Hatsuharu will be enrolled for high school the following semester, much to the surprise of Tohru.
Momiji and Hatsuharu begin their first year in high school. Kyo saves Tohro from two high school boys while they were looking for both of them. Kyo sees Momiji wearing a female uniform, much to his chagrin, and sees Hatsuharu wearing a male uniform, much to his relief. The student council president, Takei Makoto, arrives to rant on about Momiji's outfit as well as Hatsuharu's natural black and white hair, however Hatsuharu defends against Takei. Akito comes to the high school and introduces himself to Tohru. Yuki is terrified when he sees Akito with Tohru, assuming he threatened her, or did something else. Akito then confronts him about skipping the banquet held on New Year's Day. He threatens Yuki about his past, to when he was whipped constantly in an isolated room, which physically and mentally traumatizes Yuki. Tohru interrupts to push Akito away, however feeling awful for doing it, in order to excuse Yuki to go back to class with her. Akito takes his leave soon thereafter. Tohru, Yuki, Kyo, Momiji, Hatsuharu, Arisa, and Saki all plan an afternoon playing badminton, in an attempt to cheer Yuki up. Meanwhile, Hatori philosophically mentions to Shigure that if Yuki could be hurt by Akito, then he could also be healed by Tohru.
Ayame Sohma, the Snake of the Chinese zodiac decides to pay a visit to the household residence, supposedly to see Yuki, being his older brother. Ayame turns out someone who is disliked by everyone except for Shigure and Hatori, as they were his childhood entourage. Ayame later tells Tohru that he has been separated from Yuki since he was born, making it difficult to bond with him. After hearing his story, Tohru devotes herself in assisting him. However, Ayame proves to be arduous for Yuki to cope with. Ayame begins to tells stories about how he was able to main his long hair as well as his active duty as the student council president when he was in high school. Hatsuharu soon contacts Hatori to take Ayame back to the Sohma main residence. It is revealed that Ayame only listens to Hatori because of his admiration for him.
Yuki, Kyo, Arisa, and Saki all come along with Tohru to visit the tombstone of Kyoko, Tohru's mother. Yuki wonders how Tohru can be content with her life after the deaths of both her mother and father. They soon have a picnic in front of the tombstone to commemorate the memories of Kyoko. Saki begins to worry about Tohru's life among the Sohma family. Later on, during work, Tohru meets with Momiji, who explain his parents' roles within the building she works at. She soon finds out that his mother is amnesic. Momiji explains to her that his mother rejected him for being a member of the Chinese zodiac, and, as a result, requested for her memories of him to be eradicated. Tohru and Momiji then vow to keep their memories to be strong enough in the future to look back to what been remembered in the past.
Tohru, Yuki, Kyo, Shigure, and Hatori voyage to the Sohma summer house for a vacation. Yuki and Kyo decide to take a stroll with Tohru into the nearby forest. Tohru becomes worried when Kyo and Yuki are silent for unknown reasons. This causes her to lose balance and fall. Yuki and Kyo try to grab a hold of her, as they end up transforming into a Rat and a cat, respectively, to help break her fall. The two begin to bicker over nothing, and Tohru is relieved to see them act like their normal selves. They explain that they have started being comfortable around her as to not their guard down. Later on, Shigure contacts Ayame to join the rest of the group at the summer house, much to the despair of Yuki and Kyo. Yuki and Kyo then decide to walk toward the nearby lake. Meanwhile, Ayame tells Shigure and Hatori that Kana has been recently married to someone, reminding Hatori of his times with her. Ayame tries again to bond with Yuki once again, only to end up in failure. Tohru accidentally turns Ayame into a Snake, and Yuki throws Ayame into the lake.
During a downpour, Hatsuharu introduces Tohru and Yuki to Kisa Sohma, the Tiger of the Chinese zodiac. Kisa is mute due to being bullied as a child. Yuki begins to have sympathy over her after he learns that Kisa ran away from her home and stopped attending middle school. Kisa's mother later arrives, worried as to why she ran away from her home. Tohru responds by saying that Kisa might feel rejected by her mother if she knew about Kisa being bullied at her school. Kisa is agreed to stay at the household residence until further notice. During that time, Kisa seems to be clinging to Tohru, following her wherever Tohru went. Tohru and Yuki meet with Momiji and Hatsuhara after school, figuring out that Kisa was bullied at her school for her hair and eye color. After Hatsuharu receives a letter from Kisa's middle school, Yuki reads it to her. Yuki and Hatsuharu encourages her to speak and later to attend school again, after they explain that one must be accepted by others before one can be accepted by oneself.
Motoko Minagawa, Minami Kinoshita, Mio Yamagishi, and Mai Gotou, the members of the Prince Yuki fan club, initiate a scheme to seemingly do an interview with Saki to better understand her psychic ability of sending and receive electric waves. It is later revealed that the fan club plans to seek revenge, finding out the weakness of Saki in order to approach Tohru. The fan club is invited to the Hanajima residence, as they led to her bedroom and are introduced to Megumi Hanajima, Saki's younger brother. Megumi tells the fan club about his ability to curse people after learning their names. Saki then figures out that the fan club is only concerned as to why Tohru is spending so much time with Yuki, startling the fan club. Megumi explains that love can be a source of both pleasure and pain and must not be forced upon others. He then seemingly curses them after calling out their names, to which they quickly depart. Saki narrates revealing her weakness being Tohru, as she is always protective of Tohru.
Due to depression and stress because of failing one test on the midterm exams, Tohru comes down with fever and bedridden. Even though Tohru is worried about making dinner or going to work, Kyo and Shigure tells her to get some rest until the fever lets up. Shigure calls Momiji to cover for Tohru at work, while Kyo decides to make leek soup to care for her. Shigure ridicules Kyo after he notices Kyo wearing a gas mask and goggles while cooking the leek soup, as. When Kyo gives the leek soup to Tohru, she later starts to cry, explaining to him that the failed test and the fever were the sources of her depression and stress. After Tohru goes to sleep, Yuki arrives, only to find out that Kyo used the leeks in Yuki's garden to make the leek soup. Momiji, Hatori, and Kisa visit the household residence to check up on Tohru. Yuki comes by to give her a study guide he constructed for her in preparation for the retest of the midterm exam, which she later takes and passes.
After Ayame advertises about his fabric store, Tohru and Yuki decide to pay him a visit. Once there, they are surprised to apprehend that it is a fabric store for males, stocked with outfits typically for females. Mine Kuramae, Ayame's assistant explains to Yuki all the types of uniform she wears, putting him in a state of confusion. Mine later decides to apparel Tohru in a golden dress, so that Ayama can spend time bonding with Yuki. Yuki points out to Ayame that they are two different people, with opposite personalities. Yuki eventually would accept Ayame for who he is.
While on her way to work, Tohru encounters Hiro Sohma, the Goat of the Chinese zodiac. He is shown as a person who practices sophism, constantly hurling verbal insults. Hiro steals Tohru's notebook from her handbag, causing her to panic. Tohru, Kyo, Momiji, and Kisa all find him to confront his attitude. Returning her notebook, Hiro then admits his jealousy toward Tohru, because of how affectionate he is for Kisa. While Tohru and Kisa spend time with Hiro, Kyo becomes upset of the way Hiro is treating Tohru. It is later discovered that Hiro is fond of Kisa and wants to protect her, that after blaming himself for not defending her when she was bullied at school. Tohru takes them to a playground and they stop by a nearby vendor for ice cream. She cheers Hiro up by saying that he is courageous for always caring for Kisa.
The Prince Yuki fan club is curious to know if there would be any females that will be appointed to the student council, since Yuki will be the student council president the following year. However, Takei denies them access to this information. They later pass by and catch a glimpse at Tohru conversing with Yuki, which, in turn, infuriates them. Mokoto must think about graduation from high school as well as her resignation from the fan club. Motoko enlists the assistance of Rika Aida in order to infiltrate the student council office. Once there, they run into Yuki. They end up talking about leeks, as it is apparently that Mokoto is showing signs of anxiety. Those signs of anxiety gradually change into signs of jealousy. After she runs away toward the school grounds, Yuki finds her and apologizes for what he did or said that could have hurt her feelings. Nonetheless, Mokoto now understands how connected Tohru and Yuki are together.
On her way to the household residence, Tohru bumps into Ritsu Sohma, the Monkey of the Chinese zodiac. Ritsu is known for being a cross-dresser, very apologetic, and deeply depressed. As the two appear at the household residence, Ritsu gives some presents to Shigure. Ritsu decides to leave before he causes any trouble for Tohru and the others. However, Tohru wanted to serve him some tea before his departure. Unfortunately, after Tohru accidentally breaks one of the tea glasses, this sends Ritsu into a panic attack, thinking it was his fault. Tohru tries to stop him from stepping in the broken glass, but she turns him into a Monkey, getting cut in the process. Ritsu goes to the roof of the house to commit suicide, but after Tohru convinces him not to, he nearly falls off the roof, twisting his ankle in the furtherance. Ritsu asks to stay at the household residence for three days, with Hatori looking over him. While walking back from school, Tohru runs into Ritsu again, who plans to bring a bag of jelly buns for Shigure. Tohru and Ritsu sit on a park bench to talk about his cross-dressing, his apologizing, and his depression. Tohru comforts him by saying that everyone has a reason to live, a reason that everyone must search for.
On a rainy afternoon, Tohru learns that Kyo becomes irritable when it downpours. Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo walk to the household residence, only to be greeted by Kagura. Shigure sends Kagura off with Kyo to do some shopping, to avoid the house from being wrecked by her affectionate outbursts. At the store, Kyo questions Kagura ask to why she cares so much about him. Meanwhile, Tohru and Yuki go to visit the garden to see what can be harvested. Later in the evening, the four of them make their way back to the household residence. Shortly thereafter, Kazuma Sohma, the master arts instructor, arrives at the household residence. He talks to Kyo privately about his stay with Yuki and Shigure, to which Kyo responds negatively. Having seen Kyo smiling freely with Tohru, he tells Shigure discreetly that he is going to remove Kyo's bead bracelet from his wrist. During a deluged nightfall, Kazuma talks with Kyo, contemplating if he has accepted the Sohma family curse. Kazuma pulls of the bead bracelet from Kyo's wrist. When Tohru tries to approach Kyo, he yells at her not to look at him.
As his bead bracelet is removed from his wrist, Kyo evolves into a monstrous creature right in front of Tohru, causing him to evade her. Tohru follows after him, but she unknowing trips behind a tree and begins to vomit. Akito appears, as he taunts her about the knowledge of the Sohma family secret. Akito soon leaves when Shigure locates the two. He apologizes for her finding out the truth about Kyo, but regardless she continues to search for Kyo. Kagura talks with Yuki, saying that only Tohru can help Kyo, which, in turn, convinces Yuki to find Tohru, due to his affection for her. It is revealed that Kazuma took Kyo in as his adoptive son, because his grandfather suffered the same cursed during his time. Arisa and Saki head to Kyoko's tombstone once again, after Saki senses negative electric waves coming from Tohru. As they see Tohru there, Saki forbids Arisa from consoling her. She then orders Tohru to continue searching for Kyo.
Kyo is reminded of when his mother would check his bead bracelet often, due to her fear in his true form. Tohru finally ascertain Kyo by a lake, however he lashes out at her but is saved by Yuki, who restrains him. Tohru grasps his arm and tells him that she is frightened by his true form, but still wants to be together with him. Kyo calms down and changes back to his human form as the rain stops and the sun rises. He explains his mother always claimed to love him but was terrified of his true form. As they hug, Kyo changes into a cat. Tohru carries him home in her arms, with Yuki following, and are greeted by Shigure and Kazuma are relieved. Soon thereafter, Kazuma says his farewells to Kyo, as he takes his leave. Later on, after Tohru asks Shigure permission to speak with Akito, he talks to her privately, mentioning that Akito bears the core of the curse, not having very long to live. Yuki, Shigure, and Hatori accompany Tohru to the Sohma main residence to see Akito. Almost suddenly, Akito grabs her hair but has Yuki and Shigure restraining him, after Tohru is unable to say why she came. However, she begins to feel sympathetic, explaining that he still has a life to live. Releasing her hair from his hand, Akito eventually realizes that Tohru accepts the Sohma family curse.
Fruits Basket (2019 Anime)
Quotes
- Look at that beautiful sky
Relationships
Honda Kyoko
Tohru had a loving relationship with her mother, sometimes known as the Red Butterfly, a member of a famous group. She often places her mother above all else, even after her death, and fears being disloyal to her memory. She keeps a picture of her mother, which is her most cherished possession. She regularly repeats her mother's wisdom and love to others, and takes on many of her thoughts. It is because of this desire to hold onto the memory of Kyoko, that Tohru fails to realize her romance with Kyo Sohma until late in the series.
When Tohru realizes she is in love, it upsets her greatly, for she believes that will mean leaving Kyoko's memory behind. Ultimately, her love for Kyo surpasses her desire to remain attached to mother, and she accepts that it is time to move on with her life. However, Kyoko still holds a special place in Tohru's heart.
Honda Katsuya
As her father died when she was only 3, Tohru has only blurry memories of him. Her father loved her deeply and his death devastated her mother, and Tohru feared she would lose her as well. Believing her father was somehow stealing her mother away, Tohru decided to take on her father's way of speaking formally (and also because people believed she was another man's child). Tohru has not talked much of how she felt about her father, because of her lack of memory, thus, their relationship is difficult to describe. However, she does have a picture of her father, which she keeps behind her mother's picture.
Sohma Yuki
When Tohru was a child, she got lost trying to run away from a group of boys that were picking on her. A boy found her but ran away from her. She pursued him and called out to him to wait and said she wanted to go home. He turned back to her and led her home. He gave her the cap he was wearing and ran off before he could show his face. It turns out that this boy was actually in fact a young Yuki.
Years later in the present time, Yuki still remembers that incident, but thinks that Tohru has forgotten about it, until he discovers the red cap in her room when they were studying. He asks her why she keeps it to which she responds "Because it's a precious memory of mine! To be able to receive his help... it was really... the happiest moment in my life!" (Chapter 53).
At the beach house in chapter 59 after being confronted by Akito, Yuki wanders off, thinking. Tohru gets concerned when he does not return and goes out to search for him. When she does find him, Yuki comes to realize that her help and kindness have helped him "open the lid" to his feelings. He kisses her forehead and sheds tears as he realizes he loves her.
However, in chapter 83, after being locked in a closet and has a relapse of memories about his troubled childhood, he realizes that he was not seeking her love as a woman but instead saw her as a motherly figure. This may be due to the fact that he was "given" to Akito as a child and was never really raised by his parents. In later chapters the two grow somewhat distant due to Yuki with the student council, and Tohru trying to understand her feelings and wanting to break the Zodiac curse. However, they remain friendly towards each other during this period.
At the end of the manga Yuki has a conversation with Tohru the day before she moves out admitting that, to him, she was like a mother who "raised me [Yuki] "as 'a human'" (Chapter 136). He then, for the first time, calls her "Tohru" as opposed to "Honda-san". His older brother Ayame (with whom Yuki was estranged for awhile) is determined throughout the series to get Yuki and Tohru together.
Sohma Kyo
The first time Tohru meets Kyo is when she finds out about the Sohma curse. (he falls through the roof.) At first Kyo seems to hate Tohru and shouts at her when she accidentally transforms him at school. Later he apologizes for the incident due to the guilt of Kyoko's death. At the time, Tohru is unaware of his guilt. In episode 24 and 25 of the anime, and chapter 33 in the manga, Kazuma, Kyo's master at the dojo, arrives for reasons unknown to everyone at first. His reasons for being here are to reveal Kyo's true form. He puts all his hopes on Tohru that she will "heal Kyo's heart".
When he transforms into his true form, she is frightened by it but still calls out to him. Kyo, heart broken that she has seen his true form, runs into the woods. Tohru pursues him. When she finds him, she tries to convince him to come home but Kyo has convinced himself that she only pities him and does not accept him. She cries and tells him, "I want us to have our meals together, to study together and worry together... I just want us all to be together!!" Kyo aware that she has accepted him, embraces her (in his human form) and is overcome with joy. Tohru carries Kyo (in his cat form) back to Shigure's house.
As the story progresses, Kyo and Tohru become nervous and anxious around each other. While throughout the series, Kyo's strong affection for Tohru is quite obvious as he is protective around her and stutters when Momiji mentions that they should be together, he comes to realize he is in love with Tohru in volume 11 when Akito confronts him. Tohru confesses her love for Kyo to Rin and Kagura hears her and slaps her telling her that it is best to tell that to his face not behind his back, this pushes her to confess her feelings to Kyo. When Tohru finally summons up the courage to confess her feelings to Kyo himself, he walks away then turns around and explains to her that he blames himself for Kyoko's death and why. As he walks off Tohru collapses into tears.
Akito then confronts Tohru in chapter 122 and 123, when Tohru tries to offer a hand of friendship to Akito, she falls off the cliff and hurts her head leaving her only half conscious.(Yuki is actually first on the scene after Akito calls for help) Kyo, after hearing Shigure telling Hatori what happened over the phone, panics and rushes to find her. Overcome with fear and guilt(after remembering what happened with Kyoko) Kyo is afraid he will not get a chance to apologize to Tohru or tell her how he feels. When Kyo comes to the scene, he finally admits his feelings for her. But being only half conscious, Tohru didn't really understand what he was saying. When she becomes unconscious, Kyo kisses her and begs her to live.
While Tohru is in the hospital, Kyo attempts to visit her, but Tohru's friends, Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima, chase him off telling him that she doesn't want to see him because Tohru feels as though she has been rejected. They agree that when Tohru is discharged Kyo can see her. When she is finally discharged, they all go to visit her. Kyo comes a little later, still feeling guilty. When he comes up he sees Arisa and Hana then he sees Tohru and realizes he wants her more than anything and says "Tohru", due to the rejection of her feelings, Tohru instinctively runs away from him. Kyo stunned collapses and then determinedly runs after her, and yells that she shouldn't be running so hard due to her injuries. He catches up with her. Tohru screams and sadly sits down on a bench and begins to cry.
Kyo holds her hand and kneels in front of her. He now fully confesses his feelings for her saying he was selfish and didn't think of her feelings. He leans in and kisses her. Kyo says he wants them to be together always. Kyo asks if he can hug her even though he would transform and Tohru replies that she doesn't mind because she loves him very much "it can't be beat" The two embrace and realize that Kyo hasn't changed into a cat. Kyo backs away shocked and looks to his wrist. He rips off his bracelet, and the beads come crashing to the ground. Tohru picks up every single one of the beads while Kyo stands, watching, wondering why she is preserving them.
At the end of the series, Tohru and Kyo are revealed to have gotten married, had a son and a granddaughter. With their love still strong and his beads still there in a bowl as a reminder of their past.
Uotani Arisa
When Arisa met Kyoko's daughter, Tohru, in middle school, and then Kyoko herself, she was shocked by the change from gang-leader into doting mother. Arisa didn't like Tohru at first but became friends with her after Kyoko helped her escape from her gang. With Hanajima Saki, she swore on Kyoko's grave to look after Tohru, and in their "parental" protection of Tohru, noted by Kyo and Yuki, Arisa is depicted as the brash and direct father-figure. Tohru calls her Uo-chan and her manga symbol is a fish, the meaning of the first kanji (魚) of her family name.
Hanajima Saki
Tohru calls her Hana-chan, and her manga symbol is a small flower, the meaning of the first kanji (花) of her family name. Hanajima had trouble controlling her abilities when she was young, and blamed herself for the near-fatal collapse of a boy who was bullying her. Like Uotani Arisa, Hanajima is extremely protective of Tohru, who was the first person in school who truly accepted her, which helped her gain control of her powers.
She wears black nail polish and (when not in her school uniform) black dresses, often with a cloak or veil, habits Hanajima started before she met Tohru as a way of signaling her guilt. With Arisa, she promised on Tohru's mother's grave to look after Tohru and in their near-"parental" protection, she acts as the "motherly" figure. She uses her reputation for sending out "poison waves" to shield Tohru from the malice of Yuki's fan club.
Sohma Ayame
Ayame likes to flirt with Tohru, saying he will fall asleep hugging her, will stay in her room and when he first meets her, he calls her "Princess". He even buys her gyouza and says he will kiss her after she tries on one of his outfits, to "express his delight" (which results in Yuki hitting Ayame and causes yet another argument between the two brothers). Also, Tohru carries him inside her shirt twice to keep him warm, because, as he tells her, if snakes get too cold, they will die.
Ayame takes advantage of Tohru`s patient and kind nature, and orders her about. But, despite this, Tohru likes Ayame and doesn't get annoyed with his "Drama King" nature, and is still kind to him when the others are telling him to leave. This could be due to her understanding of the fact that Ayame is trying to fix his relationship with Yuki.
Sohma Shigure
Shigure, like Ayame, likes to flirt with Tohru, and teases her about going on a date with him (Yuki and Kyo get very angry at his perverted remarks). He buys Tohru a maid outfit for White Day and says he will "take her for himself" as Yuki and Kyo fight.
He seems to just be a harmless pervert, but in a conversation with Hatori, Shigure reveals that he is actually using Tohru to break the Sohma Curse. He says he is disgusted at his own selfishness, but that won`t stop him from pushing to get what he wants, even if it hurts Tohru in the process. However, he says to Mayuko that he is kinder to Tohru than he is to anyone else, to which she says that he doesn't treat the people he claims to like as human beings. He also says he loves Tohru as a brother might love his sister.
He makes Tohru cry when he reveals that the Zodiac silently consented to Kyo being confined, and that they look down on him in their hearts.
After the curse is broken, Tohru and Shigure stay good friends. Therefore, it's implied that any bad blood between the two has wained away.
Sohma Akito
Before Tohru met Akito, she thought that he was a man, and a very violent one at that. However, when she first met Akito, she (this article will call Akito she for consistency) appeared to be "a lot kinder than she (Tohru) imagined". However, her opinion soon changed after seeing Akito scare Yuki, reminding him of the time he was Akito's "playmate". She went so far as to shove Akito out of the way, but then apologized and said that they needed to get back to class.
Tohru didn't see Akito again until her visit at the summer house, where she (Akito) punched Momiji's face, and Tohru, after trying to stop her, was scratched by Akito who revealed her identity as the "God" of the Zodiac.
Akito, after realizing that the curse was crumbling, went after Tohru with a knife, and, after attacking her, revealed her fear for living without the "bonds", for the God's spirit stayed away from society. Tohru realizes that she felt the same way about her bond with her mother, and tries to make friends with Akito. Akito slaps her hand away, saying that Tohru will abandon her as soon as she complains, but is about to accept when the cliff crumbles.
Tohru is hospitalized, and Akito is the first person who visits her, indicating her change of heart, and finally accepts Tohru's request of friendship.
Sohma Ritsu
Upon meeting Ritsu Sohma, Tohru managed to identify him as the "daughter" of the Okami at the onsen, due to his frantic apologizing after Tohru helped him pick up the mess from his ripped bag. Having thought that he was a woman, due to his habitual wearing of womens' kimonos and his long hair, she discovered, after hugging him to shield him from broken glass, that he was a man, after he transformed into his zodiac animal, the monkey. Tohru was confused until Shigure explained that Ritsu wore womens clothing as it helped calm his nerves. Also, to Shigure's amusement, Tohru calls him Rit-chan-san, an example of her incorrect formal speech in Japanese.
Discovering Ritsu on the roof, about to commit suicide, Tohru managed to convince him not to jump, after hearing him say: "Why was someone like me given life in this world?!". She said: "Sometimes living can be hard, but it's only because we're alive that we can make each other... laugh, cry... be happy! [in her head In this world... [aloud] If that's not a reason for being born in this world... I don't know what is!"
She later discovered Ritsu on her way home having another episode after a cat tried to steal his Takoyaki (he was even apologizing to the cat for trying to take it back). They then struggle to find something to talk about, suggesting that they are quite shy and polite around each other, which is also relevant when they both spend a long time trying to convince the other to speak first, when they both say "Um!" at the same time. Ritsu then asks Tohru whether his mother said anything about her being ashamed of Ritsu's clumsiness and cross-dressing. Tohru is shocked, as his mother said nothing like that.
He (Ritsu) then apologizes for asking such an awkward question, and says that he is sure there was no purpose for him being alive, to which Tohru says: "I'm sure that inside your heart... you're trying with all your might to find it on your own... the reason you were born. Because... because really... there might not be anyone who was born with a reason. I think that everyone... everyone might have to find one on their own. [in her head] A reason for being born... A reason that it's okay to be alive... A reason to exist. [aloud] I think everyone might have to find it themselves... and decide for themselves. It could be your dreams...your job... or a person. ...The reason you're looking for... might be vague, unclear... and uncertain. [in her head] And you might lose it. [aloud] But as long as you're alive... you have to keep searching for that reason".
Ritsu is overcome by Tohru`s kindness and cries, and says that he hopes he can find his "reason" in a person as well.
Tohru's Grandfather
Evidently, Tohru loves her grandfather very much, though her purpose is with the Sohma's. He even defends her against other cold-hearted relatives and encourages her to go where she is happy. Later on in the manga, when her grandfather strains his back, Tohru is very concerned and watches over him closely, and is distressed and frightened when her grandpa talks of her dead parents and expresses his wish to be with them again. All in all, their relationship is loving.
Sohma Hiro
Hiro, who Tohru meets in volume 7, makes it clear that he does not like her right from the start. He steals her wallet with her mom's photo and runs off with it, causing Tohru to chase him to Shishou's Dojo, where it is revealed that Hiro is jealous of Tohru because she helped Kisa find her voice. Hiro loves Kisa and wanted to help her regain her voice, but was afraid of her getting hurt after what Akito did to her when Hiro revealed to her (Akito) his feelings for Kisa.
He calls Tohru "Stupid Woman" and, like Ayame, orders her about when he first meets her. However, Tohru is still kind to him, and encourages him when he admits he's a child, and can`t do anything.
This dislike continues throughout the story, however, it eases up at the summer house when he realizes that Tohru has had pain like he has, after he gave Tohru her photo wallet when she dropped it. He asked Tohru: "Why do you have a picture of only your mother? I mean, you've lost both parents, right? You mean you don't have one of your father? Whenever you say anything, it's "Mom, Mom". It's like, that`s all you say. Don't you ever think about anything else?", which causes Tohru to run off to look for Momiji and makes Kisa cry and ignore him for the day.
Sohma Hatsuharu
Tohru meets Hatsuharu at the racing track, where she mistakes him for an old man because of his white hair. She thinks he is very polite and is shocked at his transformation to "Black Haru". Though she doesn't hear, he says to Kyo he is going to sleep with Tohru, showing just how split his personality is. Once, when he was "Black Haru" he flirts with Tohru and warns he might try to do "that" with her. Tohru doesn't get what it meant. Kyo and Yuki hit him for saying that.
Tohru is very kind to Hatsuharu, and though she is shocked, she supports him when he says he loves Yuki, saying the story of their friendship was lovely. Hatsuharu calls her "Honda-san" like Yuki. Though he sometimes makes remarks that both Yuki and Kyo attempt to "kill" him, although he is actually a good person and respects Tohru.
He tells Isuzu (a.k.a. Rin) that Tohru is kind, and Tohru is the reason Yuki and Kyo's auras have softened when they had previously been hostile.
Sohma "Rin" Isuzu
At first, Isuzu (or Rin, as she is called by relatives) seems to despise Tohru, saying that she will "not let her get involved" in breaking the curse, and is always glaring at her. However, the truth is that Tohru to her is like a mother, similar to Yuki's feelings, and she is scared that she, like her own mother, will "fall apart". She says that when she first saw Tohru she "wanted to climb onto her lap, to pour out my (Isuzu's) heart to her, like a child who goes back, crying, to her mother. I (Isuzu) wanted to share with her all the weakness in my overly weak self, and I feel like she would let me, like she would accept me."
After Tohru discovers her throwing up in the living room, Isuzu clings to her. She appears to be embarrassed later and elbows her hand away when Tohru holds it out to her, but then, once again, she clings to her until the ambulance comes to take her to the hospital.
From then on, Isuzu is very protective of Tohru, and is furious when Kagura hits Tohru.
Sohma Kureno
Kureno and Tohru have very similar personalities, as pointed out by Arisa Uotani. They are both sincere, kind, polite and thinks of others before themselves. Realizing that Arisa desperately wishes to see Kureno again and is upset by his disappearance, Tohru becomes determined for them to see each other again and goes to the Sohma estate to talk to Kureno. With the help of Momo Sohma, enters through a secret passage to the inside of the estate. After a brief encounter with Momiji, he gives her direction to find Kureno. She finds him but cannot approach him as there are a lot of servants and family members around.
Eventually she ends up hiding behind a bush, where 'Akito' hears her and asks who's there. Kureno appears and saves Tohru from the person she thought was Akito (This was Ren, Akito's mother, as Tohru thought they sounded alike and Kureno later revealed that it was her). When Ren has disappeared Kureno pulls Tohru away from the area asks why she is here. Tohru tells Kureno that Arisa really wants to see him and even give him Arisa's number so they can make contact. However, Kureno turns down the offer and tells Tohru he has given up 'hope'. She responds by saying that there is always hope. He lets her go as he sees Momiji approaching them.
Later on in chapter 97, Kureno approaches Tohru without Akito knowing. He hugs her and explains to her that he has broken free of the curse. Tohru is surprised by this but Kureno doesn't know how his curse was broken. The only reason he stayed in the Sohma estate was because Akito desperately begged and pleaded him to stay with her. Tohru realizes that he desperately wishes to see Arisa again and he starts to cry. It also at this point that Kureno reveals to Tohru that Akito is in fact a woman. He goes on to explain to her who Ren is and a bit more on the curse and Akito. Shocked and unable to take it all in, Tohru collapses after Kureno leaves.
After the curse is broken, it can be assumed they are good friends.
Sohma Momo
Tohru and Momo meet once, in volume 13. Momo probably knows Tohru from her papa's work. She talks to Tohru about seeing Momiji. Other than that, no real relationship is shown between Tohru and Momo. She is also Momiji's sister.
Sohma Momiji
Tohru and Momiji were good friends from the start. They met when Hatori came to their school's fair (where they were selling rice balls) to give Yuki a check-up. Momiji and Kyo are fighting when Tohru comes over and Momiji asks her if she knows about the curse. She replies yes, prompting him to hug her. He turns into a rabbit, making the other students wonder what happened. The other students did not have to have their memories erased, because they did not make the connection of the rabbit and Momiji.
When Momiji reveals the secret about his mother to Tohru, she, overtaken by sadness, hugs him, thus turning him into a rabbit. She begins to cry, and says how without her mother she would not have been able to be where she is now. She says that Momiji is very strong, and that she admires him for that quality.
Later in the manga, it starts to show that Momiji very much loves Tohru in a romantic way. In Volume 19, he is shown holding hands with Tohru, and they look like a couple. He later tells Kyo that he is going to propose to Tohru if Kyo does not. Momiji never does, of course, as he decides to leave Kyo and Tohru to their happiness.
Sohma Kisa
Kisa was shut off, or lost her voice, because of people bullying her about her shy personality and orange hair, the mark for being the "tiger" in the zodiac. She left home since she could not have taken the bullying anymore, but was given a boost of confidence and strength from Tohru. Tohru loved Kisa, and let her know it. After that, Kisa found the strength to talk and go to school. She idolizes Tohru. Kisa calls her "Onee-chan", meaning a sister figure.
Sohma Hatori
She first met him in episode 7 with Momiji, and she was glad to have met other Sohmas. But later in that episode, she found out that Hatori is the one that erases the memory of those who interfere with the Sohma family. Hearing this she becomes fearful of him, but as the story continues, she gets to know him better and feel more compassion towards him. Later, Hatori asks Tohru the question that Kana, his ex-fiance asked him - When snow melts, what does it become? She answers "Spring" just like Kana did, thus marking the beginning of his fondness towards her.
Knownable Relatives
- Honda Kyoko (Mother/dead)
- Honda Katsuya (Father/dead)
- Sohma Kyo (Husband)
- Sohma Hajime (Son)
- Unnamed youngest son
- Unnamed Daughter
- Mitoma Sawa (Daughter in law)
- Hanajima Saki (Second Best Friend)
- Uotani Arisa (Best Friend)
Trivia
- According to Natsuki Takaya, Tohru was the first character she created for the series, with Yuki and Kyo Sohma soon after. When asked how she came up with Tohru's personality and background, she said: "I thought that for a girl to accept other people's feelings so wholeheartedly, she'd have to have a slightly unusual way of looking at things so that she wouldn't be crushed by having so much empathy. But I still worried that I needed something else to flesh her out. And then the thought, 'Oh, yeah—I'll make her use super-polite language, and use it incorrectly!' came to me all at once. After that, her character was completed in no time".
- Takaya decided to make Tohru fall in love with Kyo to add a twist, as most assumed she loved Yuki Sohma, Ayame's younger brother.
- Takaya described Tohru, Yuki Sohma, Kyo Sohma and Shigure Sohma as the main cast.
- The tent that Tohru lives in is in the shape of a half cylinder in the manga; but in the anime, it is much smaller and in the shape of a triangular prism.
- While many sites list Tohru as an Aries, she is actually a Taurus. The mix up exists due to a fanfiction about Tohru's birthday (Entitled "Happy Birthday, Miss Tohru!"), the story was published on April 5th, 2006. On most search engines April 5th 2006 shows up when a search is done for Tohru's birthday. All character profiles on websites predating this story list her as a Taurus. Her real birthday is May 6th.
- Despite not being able to transform, Tohru is represented by a rice ball with a "plum on the back".
- Her star sign is a Taurus and her blood type is O.
- Tohru shares the same english voice actress as Kid Trunks from Dragon Ball Z, Keiko Yukimura from Yu Yu Hakusho, Mitarashi Anko from Naruto/Naruto Shippuuden and Tokine Yukimura from Kekkiashi.
- Laura Bailey said that her favorite role that she loves voicing in anime shows was Tohru Honda.
- Laura Bailey, the English voice actress for Tohru, said in an interview that the aspect of Tohru's character she most related to was her optimism, while the most difficult was her formality. According to her, Akitaro Daichi, the director of the Japanese anime series, was particularly concerned that Tohru's "sweetness and formal nature didn't get lost in translation"; Bailey acknowledged that English does not have the same kind of speech formality as Japanese, but claimed Tohru's "humble nature can still be communicated through inflections and tone." Bailey reported using the Japanese performance of Yui Horie as a basis for Tohru's mannerisms and inflections
Tohru shares many similarities with Uzumaki Naruto from Naruto/Naruto Shippuuden.
- Both are the main character for their respective series.
- Both of their parents died before the series.
- Both were raised by an elderly after their parents death.
- Both are sweet and kind, but can be clueless sometimes.
- Both were bullied during their childhood.
- Both act like one of their parents. (For Tohru : her father. Whereas for Naruto : his mother)
- Both look at the positive side in life instead of the negative.
- Both have two friends that they understand more. (For Tohru : Arisa and Saki. Whereas for Naruto : Sasuke and Gaara)
- Both were outcasts during their childhood.
- Both met someone during their childhood without learning their name, and had a memento item that was with them. (For Tohru : Yuki. Whereas for Naruto : Hinata) The only difference is that Yuki gave Kyo's old hat to Tohru. Whereas Naruto gave his old ruin red scarf to Hinata.
- Both have someone that looks up to them as an older sibling. (For Tohru : Kisa. Whereas for Naruto : Konohamaru)
- Both have a friend that is a prevert. (For Tohru : Shigure. Whereas for Naruto : Jiraiya)
- Both have a mysterious friend that is quiet but can be serious. (For Tohru : Hatori. Whereas for Naruto : Kakashi)
- Both act like their mysterious friends' other friend. (For Tohru : Kana. Whereas for Naruto : Obito)
- Both grow into one of their parents shadow. (For Tohru : her mother, since her father's side of the family thinks that she will follow in her mother's footsteps. Whereas for Naruto : his father Minato, since he had no idea that his father was his idol and the same fourth Hokage that he admired)
- Both had one nickname that they hated which became a taboo word for them that fitted them perfectly during their childhood. (For Naruto : the word demon. Whereas for Tohru : the word riceball)
- Both struggle in life and decides to had a dream goal. (For Tohru : to fit in with the Sohma family. Whereas for Naruto : to become Hokage)
- Both had a hatred for their late father but let it go in the end. (For Naruto : hating his father for making him a jinchuriki. Whereas for Tohru : hating her father for almost taking her mother away from her)
- Both cherish the memories of their late parents, and keeps certain items that were giving to them. (For Tohru : she keeps two separate photos of her parents in one picture frame. Whereas for Naruto : keeping the scarf that his mother made for him, and a photo of his father)
- Both achieve their dream goal, and marries someone at the end of the series. (For Tohru : she gets accepted into the Sohma family by breaking the Chinese zodiac curse, and marries Kyo. Whereas for Naruto : he marries Hinata, and becomes the seventh Hokage)
Voice Actresses
- Japanese : Yui Horie (2001 anime), Manaka Iwami (2019 anime)
- English : Laura Bailey (both anime series)
- Played by in (Live Action) :
all information on Honda Tohru came from http://fruitsbasket.wikia.com/wiki/Tohru_Honda