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| “ | I want... to be with you. Listen to me. If I'm gonna keep living... I want it to be with you. I don't want anyone else. Because... Because I love you! | „ |
| ~ Kyo to Tohru. |
Kyo Sohma is one of the main characters of the anime/manga series Fruits Basket and cursed by the spirit of the cat of the zodiac. He is the love interest & husband of Tohru Honda. He is father of Hajime Sohma & two unnamed children.
He transforms into an orange cat whenever he is hugged by a member of the opposite gender or if he is under a great deal of stress. The cat is not an animal in the Chinese Zodiac, but legend has it that the cat may have been included had the rat not tricked it. As a result, he and Yuki Sohma (the rat) do not get along well, since Kyo blames Yuki for all his misfortune and mistreatment, and drove him to made a deal with Akito Sohma that if he could beat Yuki, he would not be confined to the Cat's Room.
In Japanese version, he was voiced by Tomokazu Seki (teenager), Kyōsuke Ikeda as a child, Keisuke Konno (1 years old) from original Fruits Basket, later voiced by Yuma Uchida (teenager) and Asuna Tomari (child) from new Fruits Basket.
In English version, he is voiced by Jerry Jewell (teenager), Avery Rice Williams as a child and returned to reprise his role and Alison Viktorin & Suzie Yeung as a child in remake/reboot of Fruits Basket.
Appearance[]
Kyo is depicted as an orange-haired young man. He wears a bracelet on his wrist that is red and white in the manga & 2019 anime, but dark blue and white in the 2001 anime.
He turns into a bright orange cat when hugged by a girl, and when his bracelet is taken off, he turns into a monster that smells of rotting flesh, better known as the cat's vengeful spirit. He is described as 'handsome' and 'orange'. He is very well liked by Tohru Honda.
Personality[]
He is short-tempered and charismatic, if initially awkward around people. In spite of his cold and aggressive nature, Kyo's heart later softens upon realizing Tohru's care for him be sincere. Their bond not only encourages Kyo to have a change of heart, but it also allows Kyo to trust in Tohru when he's to expose what it means to be excluded from the zodiac. Ever since he met Tohru, who admires the cat of Zodiac legend, he has expressed a soft side of himself. Kyo was always separated from the Sohma clan, including his parents, which is likely the cause of his short-fused temperament and stubbornness. He constantly trains in martial arts so that he might one day defeat his rival, Yuki. His martial arts master, Kazuma is one of the people he respects the most.
Arisa Uotani once calls him "anger management boy", and Yuki Sohma expresses envy of his ability to make friends easily. He is also fiercely competitive, and can be easily manipulated into doing things he does not want to by turning it into a competition—especially against Yuki. As the cat, Kyo hates Yuki, the current Rat of the zodiac, whom he sees as never having to work hard at anything, and has dedicated his life to defeating him. Shortly before the series beginning, Kyo made a bet with Akito: if he defeats Yuki in a fight before graduating high school, he would officially be accepted as part of the zodiac. However, if he does not, Kyo would be confined inside the Sohma estate for the rest of his life.
Despite many months of strict training, however, Kyo never lands a decent blow on Yuki. Their rivalry distresses Tohru, who likes them both, but she comes to worry even more when they do not fight. The two eventually tell each other, during an argument, they envy as well as despise each other and come to a truce for Tohru's sake.
When he was a child, after meeting Kyoko (Tohru's mother), he felt that somewhere in his heart, something blossomed which is why he went to see/meet Tohru. Kyo actually befriend Kyoko and she made him promise that he would look out for Tohru. Kyo was there the day the car hit Kyoko, but didn't attempt to rescue her due to the curse. This led to him being consumed by guilt, which is why he went to the mountains to train and get away from the pain. Later on, Tohru became part of his life anyway, so his guilt caused him to lash out over silly things, in an attempt to keep her away from himself. Kyo thought he would only hurt those who cared for him, but when Tohru showed him acceptance even while fearful of his hideous True Form, Kyo began falling in love with her. Despite his efforts to stop it, Tohru loved him back.
Biography[]
At the start of the story, Kyo moves into Shigure's house with Yuki and Tohru. When Kyo was young, his mother died in an accident rumored to be suicide over her son's curse, and after his father rejected him, Kyo was taken in by Kazuma Sohma. The two love each other as father and son, but Kazuma insists he continue to live with Shigure because he believes Tohru is helping him open up.
Aside from his foster father, however, Kyo pushes away the people who want to help him, because he is ashamed of the cat's true form—a grotesque, foul-smelling, monster—which he turns into when his bone juzu bead bracelet is removed. When Tohru sees his true form, however, she follows him to beg him to stay with her, which strengthens their bond. However, Kyo also blames himself for the death of Tohru's mother, whom he could have saved at the risk of turning into a cat, and he was shaken by Kyoko's last words, "I'll never forgive you..." As the story progresses, Kyo falls in love with Tohru, but he refuses to subject her to the pain he is convinced he will cause, so when she confesses she loves him, he rejects her, calling himself "disillusioned." Only when Uotani, Hanajima, and Yuki impress upon him how deeply his rejection hurt Tohru does he get up the courage to accept her, and when he does finally confess to her, his curse lifts—along with the rest of the zodiac.
In the last chapter, he and Tohru move out of Shigure's house and prepare to go to another city, where he will study at another dojo in preparation for inheriting Kazuma's, and in the final pages it is shown that they had 3 children and a granddaughter.
Quotes[]
| “ | Hold on! If you hate her so much, why let her live with us? Why would you allow her to stay in our lives at all? You're crazy. It doesn't make any sense. What are y--? It was some plan of yours. You used her. Why? I don't know. But-- You dragged her into this mess. | „ |
| ~ Kyo to Akito |
| “ | She's not! It was me! All me! I don't love her. No. You had it wrong. Of course I don't love her. Because I'm never going to fall in love. Not with anybody. Enough. I won't let anyone talked bad about her because of me. Not anymore. | „ |
| ~ Kyo to Akito |
| “ | Sometimes, it'll be hard being with me will mean you'll have to deal with this weird body of mine. | „ |
| ~ Kyo to Tohru |
Trivia[]
- An example would be that at one point Shigure pesters him about the reason he hates Yuki and Kyo stomps off to the forest, ready to cry. He also has a strong hatred for leeks, and the smell makes him sick. He also hates green onions and miso, unless it's in soup form.
- It is not known whether Kyo really took over Shishou's dojo.
- He is the fourth of the cursed Sohmas to have his curse broken.
- In an author's note, Natsuki Takaya described the character of Kyo as a powerful force that pulled the story of Fruits Basket along.
- His First Japanese Voice Actor, Tomokazu Seki, also voiced Toya Kinomoto in Cardcaptor Sakura series, Whisper and Buchinyan in Yōkai Watch, Korosensei in Assasination Classroom OVA, Sanemi Shinazugawa in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Shinya Kogami in Psycho-Pass, Sousuke Sagara in Full Metal Panic!, Domon Kasshu in Mobile Fighter G Gundam, Aldebaran in Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World, Viewtiful Joe in Viewtiful Joe, Kanji Tatsumi in Persona 4, Brainy Smurf in The Smurf 2, Gilgamesh in Fate/Grand Order, Ginei Morioka in Rosario + Vampire, Itaru Hashida in Steins;Gate, Kamui Shirō in X/1999, Van Fanel in Visions of Escaflowne, Glen Fire in Ultra series, Hiromu Shinbo in Chobits, Toki in Fist of the North Star, Suneo Honekawa in Stand By Me Doraemon, Vyse in Skies of Arcadia, Haru Glory in Rave Master, Leonardo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Kenichi Shirahama in History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi, Yoshimitsu in Tekken, Ezio Auditore da Firenze in Assassin's Creed II, Ethan Waber in Phantasy Star Universe, Vincent in Devil May Cry, Sly Cooper in Sly Cooper, Tokio in Crimson Tears, Mepple in Futari Wa Pretty Cure, Dart Feld in The Legend of Dragoon, and Hastur in Hasuta.
- His Second Japanese Voice Actor, Yuuma Uchida, also voiced Hayate Immelman in Macross Delta.
- His English Voice Actor, Jerry Jewell, also voiced Akito Hayama in Kodocha, Claire Stanfield in Baccano!, All of Love in Servamp, Kodaka Hasegawa in Haganai, Priapos in Maria the Virgin Witch, Natsuno Koide in Shiki, Saiki Kusuo in The Disastrous Life of Saiki K, Nezu in My Hero Academia, Pipimi in Pop Team Epic, Aion in Show By Rock!!, Shinichi Kudo in Case Closed and Sorata Arisugawa in Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE.
- His Second Child English Voice Actress, Alison Viktorin, also voiced Conan Edogawa in Case Closed, Kuroko Shirai in A Certain Magical Index series, Ame (Child) in Wolf Children.
External links[]
- Kyo Sohma on the Fruits Basket Wiki
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