| Shigure Sohma | |
|---|---|
| Fruits Basket character | |
| Created by | Natsuki Takaya |
| Voiced by | Ryōtarō Okiayu (Japanese) John Burgmeier (English) |
| Profile | |
| Zodiac spirit | Dog |
Shigure Sohma (草摩 紫呉 Sōma Shigure) is a fictional character in the manga and anime series Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya. He transforms into the dog of the Chinese zodiac whenever he is hugged by the opposite gender or his body comes under a great deal of stress. Shigure is one of the oldest members of the zodiac.
Shigure repeatedly uses his favorite phrase "Que será, será" meaning "Whatever will be, will be" in Spanish. According to the anime, when he turns into a dog, he's revealed to have black fur.
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Natsuki Takaya derived Shigure's name from the tenth month, which is the month of the dog, of the former Japanese lunar calendar, Shigurezuki, or "Autumn showers month".[1]
Natsuki Takaya said about Shigure in the final book: If you were to say he's a problem child, you'd be right. He doesn't have the emotions of characters I usually draw. That was what I always intended, but as I continued to draw him,I got the feeling that he was growing really superficial.
Shigure is laid-back and anything but solemn and according to the first episode, he says that he's a nonviolent peacemaker. He is a flirt, a tease, and often acts like a pervert. Akito once remarked, that, "I thought you'd sleep with any woman." He likes to tease Tohru about going on a date with her, and also says he likes high school girls. As a writer of both romance novels and academic books, Shigure loves to drive his editor, Mitchan, insane. His most famous and well-celebrated pen name is Kiritani Noa (western order, Noa Kiritani), which he usually uses for his romance novels, as Summer-Colored Sigh, which he showed to Saki Hanajima, Arisa Uotani and Kyo Sohma. They give very different reactions, Hanajima asks if a sequel will be coming out, while Uotani says it is unacceptable to write that 'smut' and Kyo comments that it's sick. Tohru thinks it's amazing that she knows an author. Usually, he makes the editor suicidal by telling her that he didn't write anything yet, though he is finished already.
Shigure's best friends are Hatori Sohma and Ayame Sohma. This trio has been friends since their childhood. Together their nickname is the Mabudachi Trio. While Ayame and Shigure get along very well, it's less certain how Hatori, who is always exasperated with them, became their friend.
Occasionally, Shigure shows that he has another side to himself. He can be surprisingly mature, thoughtful, and gives rather sage and insightful advice to Tohru, Kyo, Yuki, and other characters, acting like an actual "adult". Only in the manga is it revealed that he is also quite cunning and somewhat dark-humoured. It could be said that in some ways Shigure is the one who is most affected by the curse, being in love with Akito and at the same time considered beneath her. It is also speculated and revealed in the manga that, although he does feel brotherly affection for her, Shigure is actually using Tohru Honda to break the Sohma curse. This is not true in the anime. Keep in mind that the anime does not covered the entirety of the manga and it major plot points. Shigure is normally seen in a traditional kimono. Occasionally when he does business, he wears western style clothing (a suit). Naturally Shigure wears either a gray robe or a navy kimono. In the house, he normally walks around bare-footed while everyone else wears socks. He has his specific reasons for doing so, since it is his house.
Along with such behaviors, it is evident in both the anime and the manga (although much more noticeable in the manga) that Shigure is extremely manipulative, and would, in reality, use anyone and anything to reach his goal. He also is spiteful, having slept with Ren Sohma, Akito's mother, to get back at Akito after she slept with Kureno. Shigure lives on the "outside" of the Sohma house in a large home with Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru. Shigure can make anyone laugh. But some of his jokes offend others. He and Akito are a couple at the end of the story.
Shigure has been cited by reviewers as a key part of the success of the series, helping balance the lighter and darker aspects of the story[2] by adding comic relief.[3]
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