Akito Sohma
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| Fruits Basket character | |
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| Akito Sohma | |
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| Gender | Male in the anime, female in the manga |
| Age | 19 in anime; past 20 in manga |
| Height | 163.8 cm (5'4") |
| Blood Type | AB |
| Sign | Cancer |
| Occupation | Head of the Sohma Family |
| Animal | N/A |
| Seiyū | Murasaki Wakaba Yuka Imai (child) |
| Voice Actor | Chad Cline Aaron Dismuke (child) |
Akito Sohma (草摩 慊人 Sōma Akito?) is the leader of the Sohma clan in the manga and anime series entitled Fruits Basket. Akito is shrouded in mystery, and though frail with poor health, is feared and respected by many members of the Sohma clan.
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[edit] Role in the story
Akito has scarred many members of the Sohma clan, both physically and psychologically. Since Akito is the head, no one dares oppose her. Although not cursed by any of the vengeful spirits of the Chinese Zodiac, it was revealed in volume 11 of the manga that Akito is the Jade Emperor (God) from the stories about the origins of the Chinese Zodiac. A possible part of the curse was that Akito would only live to be 21-30 years old, which is why she tries to scar her family, feeling this is the only way to get them to remember her when she's gone (only in the anime).
[edit] Personality
According to the anime, it is revealed that Akito was coerced to take the "core" of the curse at birth; this possibly explains Akito's frailness. Since no one questioned Akito's consent in order to take this responsibility, Akito holds bitterness against the entire Sohma family. (This is not proven true in the manga. See "Difference Between Manga and Anime" below.)
In the manga, Akito feels that all male members of the Jyūnishi have to devote themselves to the god of the Zodiac, which is why she hurts only the females (with the exception of Hatori; it is said that he got in the way), claiming that they are stealing the men away. (This only happens in the manga.) Akito's hatred for females may also derive from the influence of her parents. Her father Akira Sohma, whom Akito remembers fondly, was kind, while Ren, her mother, was cruel and sly.
In chapter 120, it is revealed that Akito has always been lonely and afraid of change. The reason why she clings so hard to the bond that exists between her and the twelve Jyunishi is because she fears that without them, she will actually be the nothing that her mother claims she is and that she will be left alone. So, in her own strange way, she truly seems to love the other members of the Sohma family. Tohru, realizing this, offers her hand to Akito in friendship, but as Akito is hesitantly about to accept, the ground beneath Tohru collapses.
When Tohru, who recovers at the hospital, is finally allowed visitors who are not members of the family, Akito is surprisingly one of the first of the visitors (and even more surprisingly according to Hatori and Shigure Sohma, she went alone and entirely on her own accord). Fearful that she will be rejected, Momiji Sohma tells her a story and offers her advice that allows Akito to see Tohru and Kureno for who they really are. Kureno, whom she had treated so poorly, still worries about her well-being even as he recovers in the hospital. Akito finally sees that both Tohru and Kureno are people whose kindness for others overrides their ability to be concerned about themselves. With that in mind, she goes to see Tohru, who offers her hand (despite the fact her arm is injured) to Akito, which she can now accept. From here on Akito decides to try and change rather than cling to being "god" and to the memory of her father and what he wanted her to be.
[edit] List of injuries caused by Akito
- Isuzu Sohma: Pushed her out a window for her relationship with Hatsuharu Sohma, hospitalizing her. Akito later imprisons her in the Cat's Room and cuts her hair.
- Kisa Sohma: Slapped her across the face, causing her to be slammed into a wall (anime); attacked her, giving her injuries that caused her to be hospitalized for two weeks (manga) when Hiro Sohma professed his love for her.
- Yuki Sohma: Often abused when he was young (emotionally, mentally, and perhaps physically, though it is never shown in the manga). Akito hit him with a clay pitcher or vase at a New Years banquet because Yuki was being "disrespectful" by forgiving Akito for her past deeds.
- Hatori Sohma: Smashed a vase against his head when he asked permission to marry his co-worker Kana, nearly blinding him in the left eye.
- Kyo Sohma: Threw a bell at him, hitting him in the cheek when he came to visit the Sohma summer home, and slapped him. Akito has also been particularly cruel with his use of psychological torture.
- Momiji Sohma: Punched him in the jaw when he tried to stop him from seeing Tohru (chapter 64); slapped him when he told her he wouldn't stay with her, due to his release from the curse (chapter 116).
- Tohru Honda: Scratched her on her cheek, causing her to bleed when she tried to stop Akito from hurting Momiji further (chapter 65); slashes her arm with a knife and slaps her (chapter 121); pulls her off the ground by her hair and repeatedly tugs on it until warded off by Yuki and Shigure (only in the anime).
- Kureno Sohma: Slapped him (chapter 98); stabbed in lower back, though it's later revealed that he recovers (chapter 118, 122).
- Ren Sohma: Attempted to strangle her, but Hatori pulled Akito back (flashback in chapter 98). Later Akito attempted to stab her, but stopped when she felt Hiro's release from the curse.
- Shigure Sohma: Scratched him on the cheek, believing that he was going to abandon her (flashback in chapter 132).
[edit] Akito and Kyo
Until recently, Akito viewed Kyo as a "monster" and neither considered him to be part of the Zodiac nor held feeling towards him the way she did the other Jyūnishi. As part of tradition, the Sohma member cursed by the cat must live alone and imprisoned in a room designated for the cat until the day they die, and Akito planned to do the same to Kyo unless he could win a bet: Should he be able to beat Yuki in a fight before he graduated from high school, Kyo would become part of the Zodiac and would not have to be locked in the cat's room.
In chapter 126, Akito confirmed that she plans to have the cat's room torn down, implying that Kyo is no longer going to be imprisoned in the room following his high school graduation. In 127, Kyo finds her near Kazuma's house, where she tells him somewhat awkwardly that "he can live however he likes".
At the end of chapter 129 you see Akito looking into the garden where Tohru and Kyo have just confessed and are hugging, and as the two look shocked Akito, sensing Kyo's release from the curse, says "Goodbye".
In Chapter 130, all of the members from the zodiac are freed at once and Akito feels tremendous loss and pain. As all the now freed members (save Kureno, Momiji, Hiro, and Kyo, who were already freed) break down in tears with Akito, she too is freed from her god spirit as a ghostly figure comes and takes it away with thanks for keeping the promise (the curse) for so long.
[edit] Differences between the manga and anime
As the anime covers only 45 chapters of the manga (loosely in parts), there are several differences in the character of Akito in both.
It has never been confirmed in the manga that Akito will die at 25-30 years old. In the manga, Hatori Sohma (Akito's doctor) reveals that most of Akito's illnesses are psychological, though her father, Akira Sohma, was also quite sickly, and died at a young age. No one in the manga ever mentions anything about Akito dying. Also, in the anime, Akito is the "core" of the curse; however, in volume 11 of the manga, it is revealed that Akito is actually the zodiac god.
In that same line, it has never been confirmed in the manga that Akito holds bitterness against the entire Sohma family because of her role in the curse. Akira Sohma told a very young Akito that, once he died, the cursed Sohmas would love her forever to make up for the lack of affection from Ren. This casts a new light on the Akito's behavior and her claim that, sooner or later, all the Jyūnishi will come back to her.
In chapter 97 (volume 17) of the manga, it is revealed that Akito is actually female, but was raised to act and appear as a male. The decision to raise Akito male was her mother Ren's who claimed that it was because having a female heir would "cause problems." However, the more likely reason is because of Ren's insecurity over not being first in Akira's heart, and her jealousy of her late husband's great affection for their daughter. This fact is known only by the three eldest cursed Sohmas (Hatori, Shigure, and Ayame), Kureno, and Akito's mother, Ren Sohma.
In chapter 101 of the manga, Shigure Sohma's editor Mitchan, upon glimpsing Akito from afar, comments on how young the head of the Sohma family seems. Shigure replies, "Young? But he's got to be past 20 years old now."
Towards the end of the manga, after Kureno leaves and the curse is broken, Akito and Shigure finally confess their true feelings for each other, and kiss.
[edit] Zodiac story
In Chapter 131, the whole story of the zodiac curse is told, and you find out why the cat is so hated.
In the story, the "God" lived by himself on a mountain.
[Once a long time ago, there was a man. For as long as he could remember he had always always been by himself. If he climbed down the mountain, he knew that he would meet people, but chose to be by himself.
The one who is at the top, normally is alone. Having the strength of a thousand men. Having the lives of a thousand men. That man having a thousand memories, he knew that he was different from other people.
This man was afraid of other people. He was afraid of getting hurt. While he had so many powers, he was afraid of this self that he knew was so different from the world.]
He could be with people if he went down but never did due to being afraid since he was different.
One day a Cat came to him...
["I have been following you for some time."
"You have a most unusual aura, I can't help but be drawn to you. I realise I am but a stray cat but won't you please let me stay by your side? Please "God"]
The cat stayed by his side always and the God became happy and Thought..
["Perhaps, I can get along with them if it was a being other than human. If it is with beings who have had similar experiences, then we can have a fun banquet."]
So he sent out many invitations and in the end 12 animals came. They all had a banquet each night and had fun. The God even laughed out loud for the first time. But then the cat collapsed and fell ill. They all realized that the banquet, no matter how fun it was, would end. They all would die no matter what. But then the God cast a spell in the water.
["Let us make our friendship last for eternity. Even when we die, let us be bound by our friendship for eternity. No matter how many times we die, no matter how many times we are reborn, again, in the same way no matter how many times, let us have another banquet. Everyone getting along for all of time. Let us be in eternal bliss."]
Everyone agreed except the cat.
["God, God, why did you make me drink that? God, I do not want eternity.
"I do not want eternal bliss."]'''
They all believed the cat betrayed them and all turned away. Even so the cat said...
["God, God, even though you are frightened, let us accept that all things end. Even though it is sad, let us accept that life ends."
"God, even though it was just for a short time, I was happy being by your side. If I were to die, be reborn and meet you again, The next time rather than in the moonlight I want to see you smile in the sunlight. The next time I meet you, I want to see you laughing surrounded with people."]
The cat died, but they all believed he betrayed them. They all died and soon God was all alone, but he did not worry, due to the promise.
["Again. We will have a banquet again. Once again many times, always unchanging. No matter how alone I am right now."
"On the other side of that promise everyone is waiting for me."]
(Translated by Seph at Otaku Corner)
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| Tohru and Friends |
| Tohru Honda | Kyoko Honda | Arisa Uotani | Saki Hanajima |
| The Sohmas |
| Akito Sohma | Yuki Sohma | Kyo Sohma | Shigure Sohma | Kisa Sohma | Hiro Sohma | Hatori Sohma | Ayame Sohma | Kazuma Sohma | Ritsu Sohma | Isuzu Sohma | Kureno Sohma | Momiji Sohma | Hatsuharu Sohma| Kagura Sohma | Ren Sohma | Akira Sohma | Momo Sohma | Satsuki Sohma |
| Others |
| Mayuko Shiraki | Mine Kuramae | Kakeru Manabe | Machi Kuragi | Kimi Toudou | Naohito Sakuragi | Mitchan |
