Fruits Basket/Characters

The following tropes can be applied to the characters of the Manga and Anime series Fruits Basket.

Tohru Honda


"Voiced by: Hiroko Konishi (JP, drama CD), Yui Horie (JP, series), Laura Bailey (EN)"

The heroine of the story, Tohru ends up in the Sohma household after her mother dies and she sets up tent on their property. She forges friendships with Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure, and eventually comes to befriend the rest of the Sohmas as well.


 * Adorkable
 * All of the Other Reindeer: When she was younger.
 * Badass Pacifist: This non-Action Girl teenager manages to  and then she also.
 * To add to the first point,.
 * And to add to the second:.
 * Book Dumb
 * Blue Eyes: Anime only.
 * Brown Eyes: Manga
 * Break the Cutie: Akito tries this on her..
 * Care Bear Stare: Hiro thinks she can do this because she can love and tolerate the shit out of anyone.
 * Cloudcuckoolander: She can be this on occasion but on the most part she's level headed.
 * Crash Into Hello: Kyo falls through the roof, shouts at Yuki, and then Tohru trips and falls on him.
 * Conveniently an Orphan: Averted, actually. She has a living grandfather and other relatives, but lived in a tent because she didn't want to burden them. Considering how badly her aunt and cousins treat her when she has to move back with the grandpa, she can't be blamed.
 * Cooldown Hug:
 * Curtains Match the Window: In the manga.
 * Dojikko
 * Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Invoked; Tohru is warned by Kagura not to.
 * Easily Forgiven: Tohru does not hold grudges against anyone.
 * Face Fault: Truly, out of ALL the characters, she makes the MOST face faults out of ANYONE. Makes sense though, being the normal person among a family of people who can transform into talking animals.
 * First Kiss: Gets a bit complicated.
 * Golden Moment
 * Heroes Want Redheads: Kyo.
 * Heroic BSOD:
 * In the anime,.
 * Heroic Self-Deprecation: Has low self esteem hidden under her eternal smile.
 * The Heroine: The protagonist who is saving the Sohmas from themselves.
 * Magic Skirt
 * The Messiah: She loves everyone, even Akito, who is disliked by nearly the entire Sohma family.
 * Never Got to Say Goodbye: To her mom, before she died.
 * Not So Different: In the manga's climax, parallels are drawn between how Tohru's devotion to her dead mother ties her down emotionally and the Sohma clan's curse.
 * Plucky Girl: Eternally optimistic but never delusional. As for the bravery, see her entry on Badass Pacifist.
 * The Pollyanna: In the anime, where nothing at all gets her down, unlike in the manga.
 * Romance Genre Heroines: Of The Nurturer variety.
 * Sorry I Fell On Your Fist
 * Stepford Smiler: In the manga.
 * Talking to The Dead: Keeps a picture of her mom in her wallet.
 * Team Mom: Taking care of the Sohmas (the ones in Shigure's house at least) is technically payment for living there, but it goes deeper than that.
 * Tender Tears
 * Tomboyish Name: Her father gave it to her to emphasize her femininity -- like adding salt to something sweet to enhance the flavor.
 * We Really Do Care
 * What Would X Do: She always quotes Kyoko.
 * Yamato Nadeshiko: A more child-like, clumsier version. All the politeness and domestic talent, and so much inner iron she overwhelms everyone she nicely confronts. Also good at cooking Japanese style dishes. In fact, she once had an Imagine Spot about being a Japanese princess.
 * Yamato Nadeshiko: A more child-like, clumsier version. All the politeness and domestic talent, and so much inner iron she overwhelms everyone she nicely confronts. Also good at cooking Japanese style dishes. In fact, she once had an Imagine Spot about being a Japanese princess.

Yuki Sohma (The Rat)


"Voiced by: Aya Hisakawa (JP), Eric Vale (EN)"


 * Abusive Parents: Like most of the Sohmas, his mother was mostly emotionally abusive (though not above smacking him around a little when she was upset with him). She's notable for the fact that after Yuki confronted her and told her that he wouldn't let her control him anymore, later chapters showed that she might be trying to turn over a new leaf. When she told him, "Try not to push yourself too hard," Yuki noted that it was an oddly motherly thing for her to say.
 * In the manga, it was "don't use it wastefully", in regards to a cell phone he needs her permission to get.
 * All Take and No Give: Has shades of this but it is never intentional on his part. He seeks Tohru's friendship, listening ear, and understanding quite often and has benefited from Hatsuharu's and Ayame's affection for him whenever he's in a tight spot he is unable to get himself out of. When this trait is pointed out to him he resolves to change himself into a person who can give back to the people who care for him.
 * Always Someone Better: Kyo has trained in martial arts longer than he has and is more dedicated but he can't reach Yuki's level no matter what.
 * Bad Dreams
 * Berserk Button: Reminders of his older brother's quirks, Kyo at his worst, being mistaken for a woman, or the mere thought of crossdressing sets him of. Being unpleasant to Tohru is a great way to piss him off, too.
 * Bishonen: Enough to be mistaken for a girl. Multiple times.
 * Cleaning Up Romantic Loose Ends: . Not as sudden as other examples in that got quite a lot of foreshadowing.
 * Chick Magnet: Enough that he gets his own Unwanted Harem.
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Dude Looks Like a Lady: Parodied with Kakeru telling his girlfriend Komaki that Yuki had to dress up as a boy for certain reasons.
 * In the anime, he sounds like a girl (and is voiced by a woman to to drive the point home. This is averted in the dub.
 * Even the Guys Want Him: Boys and girls swoon over him.
 * Green-Eyed Monster: His fan club.
 * He's one himself towards Kyo and a little towards Manabe due to both of them being able to be natural and liked by their peers without having to try hard like he does.
 * Surprisingly averted.
 * Harmful to Minors:
 * Heavy Sleeper: Might as well be sleep on his feet in the morning.
 * Ill Boy: When he was younger he had pretty severe asthma and other unspecified health problems, but this improves as he gets older.
 * Informed Flaw: Supposedly weak and prone to illness, but he can easily beat down Kyo -- who's been training in martial arts all his life -- any time he wants.
 * Instant Fanclub: The Yuki Fan Club.
 * Insulted Awake: Kyo's voice alone is enough.
 * Kakeru calling him a "spoiled little rich girl" woke him up, too.
 * Involuntary Shapeshifting
 * Lethal Chef
 * Not a Morning Person
 * Prince Charming: His fan club gives him the nickname "Prince Yuki."
 * Princely Young Man: Subverted, because he looks perfect, but due to his past Yuki is so terrified of rejection that he also is an enormous Stepford Smiler.
 * Purple Eyes
 * Student Council President: Later in the manga.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: He and Kakeru have a bit of this. Once when Yuki was depressed, Kakeru cheered him up... by throwing a soccer ball in his face.
 * He and Kakeru had an insult match that involved them choking each other and then walking off all happy and friendly a couple of panels later.
 * The Unfavourite
 * Tongue-Tied
 * Tongue-Tied

Kyo Sohma (The Cat)


"Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki (JP), Jerry Jewell (EN)"


 * Abusive Parents: His father hates him and claims his mother committed suicide from shame and disgust at having him. Very late in the manga, it is heavily implied she loved him, and was actually Driven to Suicide by her husband.
 * All of the Other Reindeer: Despised by more than one member of the Sohma clan since he's the cat. Specially by Akito, and to a smaller degree Yuki.
 * Berserk Button: Threaten Tohru and you will regret it.
 * Cannot Spit It Out: Not really good about voicing his feelings on anything let alone romantic ones.
 * Cats Are Mean: Subverted because he's mean outside, but isn't exactly evil.
 * Chekhov's Gun: Beads? A "cursed form?" Well, this certainly won't show up in a few dozen chapters.
 * Cute Kitten: He gets teased about this.
 * Cute Little Fangs: Has them during some comedic moments
 * Does Not Like Shoes: Goes barefoot at nearly every possible moment, even during a footrace!
 * Don't You Dare Pity Me!: He fears people getting close to him, since he has difficulty to know if they genuinely love him or just pity him for his curse.
 * Dude, She's Like, in A Coma:
 * Fiery Redhead: Usually shouting, or breaking something.
 * First Kiss
 * First-Name Basis: At the start of the manga, he called Tohru "you." After The Climax of volume six, he switches to "Tohru."
 * Green-Eyed Monster: The first evidence of his attraction to Tohru.
 * Hair-Trigger Temper: It's incredibly easy to set him off, even without the above Berserk Button.
 * Hellish Pupils
 * Hot-Blooded: And HOW.
 * Instant Bandages
 * Involuntary Shapeshifting: Aside from the 'cat if hugged' thing, he has a second one. Those beads? They.
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold: He IS a jerk, but a nice jerk (especially later on).
 * Longing Look: Towards Tohru
 * My Beloved Smother: His mom tended to keep him sheltered and away from other people. Implied later on to be his father's decree.
 * My Kung Fu Is Stronger Than Yours: He constantly fights Yuki and loses.
 * Not Good With People: Because of his tremendous issues.
 * Picky Eater: He hates leeks. A lot. Still made Tohru some leek soup when she was sick.
 * Please Put Some Clothes On: To a naked Kagura, after she transforms back.
 * Power Limiter: The beads. The also serve to block Power Incontinence.
 * Sitting On the Roof: Shigure lampshades it. "Sulking on the roof is how he shows he cares." He also has a touching moment at that spot with Tohru where he talks about his adoptive father.
 * She Is Not My Girlfriend: With his cousin Kagura. Also with Tohru.
 * Sprouting Ears: Especially in the anime.
 * Through His Stomach: Cooks for Tohru when she's ill -- despite teasing.
 * Troubled but Cute
 * Tsundere: Male version
 * Tsundere: Male version

Akito Sohma


"Voiced by: Wakaba Murasaki (JP), Chad Cline (EN)"

The of the Zodiac. Akito is arguably the Big Bad of the series.


 * Abusive Parents: Well, Ren anyway. But her abuse is much more than enough.
 * All That Glitters:
 * Attention Whore: A very creepy and self-destructive version.
 * Ax Crazy
 * Berserk Button: If you're a Sohma, do NOT tell Akito you're leaving the family in ANY way.
 * Break the Cutie: Attempts this on Kisa and Tohru.
 * Break the Haughty: Oh, so much.
 * : Manifested less as hypercompetency or great worldliness, but rather through.
 * Chronic Villainy
 * Crashing Dreams: Akito has a flashback dream where
 * Creepy Child:
 * Does Not Like Men: Inverted; Akito hates women.  Or, more than hating women as a whole, Akito hates those who try taking the Sohmas away (even if they're Sohmas themselves),.
 * Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Tells that to  in the middle of a Villainous Breakdown in the manga.
 * Easily Forgiven:
 * Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette
 * Eye Scream: Performed on Hatori.
 * Evil Plan: Originally it was to possess the Zodiac, then it became drive Torhu away and then possess the Zodiac.
 * Fauxshadow:.
 * Flower Motifs: Associated with red camellias, which are a symbol of love in the language of flowers.
 * Freak-Out: Happens quite often.
 * Heel Realization
 * Hikikomori:
 * Involuntary Shapeshifting
 * Let Me At Him
 * Limited Wardrobe: Almost always seen in a male kimono, though in the manga.
 * MacGuffin: See the All That Glitters entry.
 * Manipulative Bastard: Can keep the Sohma under a tight leash with mood swings and abuse.
 * Mind Rape: Akito is both a perpetrator and a victim.
 * Pragmatic Villainy: Ayame, Kagura, and Ritsu are spared from the wrath Akito unreleased among others.
 * Fan theorized that since the role Akito has could includes being superstitious since in Japanese culture considered a white snake good luck. Since Ayame have some form of albinism and is curse with the spirit of the snake, he’s generally spared by default.
 * Ritsu dresses like a girl and has a lot of issues. It’s likely due to this is why Akito doesn’t bother with him. In addition, he doesn’t like at the main house, therefore Akito leaves him alone since he already have problems.
 * Kagura is specially spared from Akito, who has been known not to show mercy to the other female members of the Sohma clan. Fans suspected there one thing Kagura has that Rin and Kisa doesn’t… a violent personality that her defense system. Akito can be violent but Kagura… Akito wants nothing to do with her.
 * Psychotic Smirk
 * Slasher Smile
 * Somebody Doesn't Love Raymond
 * The Reveal:
 * Unstoppable Rage: Do NOT make Akito mad.
 * Villainous Breakdown: An absolutely epic one.
 * : Not by choice.
 * Why Couldn't You Be Different?: From either Akito towards others, or from Ren towards Akito.
 * Why Did You Make Me Hit You?: A good part of Akito's Manipulative Bastard strategy
 * Yandere: Hoo boooooy...
 * Yangire, as well
 * Somebody Doesn't Love Raymond
 * The Reveal:
 * Unstoppable Rage: Do NOT make Akito mad.
 * Villainous Breakdown: An absolutely epic one.
 * : Not by choice.
 * Why Couldn't You Be Different?: From either Akito towards others, or from Ren towards Akito.
 * Why Did You Make Me Hit You?: A good part of Akito's Manipulative Bastard strategy
 * Yandere: Hoo boooooy...
 * Yangire, as well
 * Yandere: Hoo boooooy...
 * Yangire, as well

Shigure Sohma (The Dog)


"Voiced by: Ryotaro Okiayu (JP), John Burgmeier (EN)"


 * Bishonen: When he goes to Tohru's school, several of her classmates mention how good looking he is, and one of Mitsu's coworkers stated that she was attracted to his good looks as well.
 * Bishie Sparkle: Of all things, when he sings about high school girls.
 * Chivalrous Pervert
 * Dirty Old Man: Flirts openly with high school aged Tohru when he first meets her, is eager to meet her friends before Kyou describes how...colorful they are, buys her a blatantly Fan Service-y Meido outfit for White Day hoping she'll clean his house in it, and goes to Tohru's high school under the pretense of retrieving her belongings when he was really going to check out the high school girls (sings a little song about it, too). Averted with Isuzu when she offers her body if he tells her how to break the curse, but in full force when played for laughs, namely when he laments that Hatori didn't tell him he was going to give her a check up.
 * Harem Nanny: Takes care of Yuki, followed by Tohru and Kyo.
 * : To Akito. Akito was not amused.
 * Involuntary Shapeshifting
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold: At the start of the series, when Shigure and Yuki discover Tohru camping in the wilderness behind their home, Shigure reacts by pointing and laughing uproariously. He quickly becomes protective of Tohru, to the point where Hanajima and Uotani liken him to a grandfather spoiling his granddaughter. Shigure also happens to push his editor's buttons to the point where she's about a hair away from committing suicide, but he never does so out of maliciousness, he just likes pushing other people's buttons.
 * Manipulative Bastard: In the manga, especially towards Rin and Akito.
 * Papa Wolf: Shigure dotes on Tohru quite a bit, although whether or not it's for his own personal gain is another matter.
 * Parental Substitute: Sorta, as Yuki's caretaker. Also present, to some extent, in his relationship with Tohru.
 * Romance Genre Heroes: Of The Charmer variety.
 * Shipper On Deck: He was a real jerk about it, but it's his actions that ultimately lead to  and Hatori dating.
 * Smoking Is Cool
 * Temporary Love Interest:
 * The Gadfly: Sometimes a means to an end, other times just to be a dick.
 * Unflappable Guardian: One that uses Obfuscating Stupidity to his advantage.
 * Urban Legend Love Life
 * Your Cheating Heart:
 * Urban Legend Love Life
 * Your Cheating Heart:

Kagura Sohma (The Boar)


"Voiced by: Yuri Shiratori (JP, drama CD), Kotono Mitsuishi (JP, series), Meredith McCoy (EN)"


 * Adult Child: Older Than They Look -- She's a 20 year old college student, and acts like a high schooler.
 * Childhood Marriage Promise: Kagura forces Kyo to promise to marry her..
 * Cool Big Sis: Was described as one by Takeya.
 * Constantly Curious: In the Backstory, during her first meeting with Kyo.
 * Cursed With Awesome: Kagura has a lot of anger issues, just ask Kyo, but her rage seems to be effective Akito, who’s known to attack Sohma members. Since Akito is often fragile yet full of rage, it’s safe to assume that the rage Kagura has is too much even for Akito.
 * Dogged Nice Girl
 * Don't You Dare Pity Me!:
 * Full Boar Action: as the boar of the Zodiac. In the beginning she is quite aggressive as well.
 * Genki Girl: Extremely energetic about her feelings for Kyo.
 * The Glomp: To Kyo
 * Gray Eyes
 * Involuntary Shapeshifting
 * Love Redeems: Subverted; she tries to invoke this, but realizes in due course that it was as selfish as the behavior she was trying to redeem herself from.
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend
 * Yandere and Tsundere: She's an odd mixture of both types.

Momiji Sohma (The Rabbit)


"Voiced by: Miki Nagasawa (JP, drama CD), Ayaka Saitou (JP, series), Kimberly Grant (EN)"


 * Bishonen: Once he has a growth spurt in the manga.
 * Brown Eyes: Though he was shown with Blue Eyes in a cover illustration.
 * But Not Too Foreign: Half Japanese, half German.
 * Cuddle Bug: Loves hugging people, especially Tohru, even though it means he'll transform.
 * Dramatic Irony: His mother had her memory of him erased and only knows him as a random Sohma child, and his little sister Momo doesn't know he exists, but his mother expresses concern that "his mother" will worry, and his sister asks to act as her big brother.
 * Gratuitous German: Moreso in the manga.
 * Hair of Gold: Nice, affectionate, helpful, a great kid.
 * He Is All Grown Up: Later in the manga.
 * Involuntary Shapeshifting
 * I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Towards Tohru, in the manga.
 * Keet
 * Older Than They Look: Looks and acts like a child, but is actually around Tohru's age.
 * Stepford Smiler: His mother's reaction to his cursed form hurt him terribly, but he pretends it doesn't bother him.
 * Wholesome Crossdresser: Sometimes dresses up in female clothes.

Hatori Sohma (The Dragon)


"Voiced by: Kazuhiko Inoue (JP), Kent Williams (EN)"


 * Berserk Button: A more emotionally subdued version but he's very self-conscious about his zodiac form.
 * Bilingual Bonus:
 * Bishonen: Similar to the other members of the Zodiac and the Sohma in general. Kakaeru asks if there's something he eats to be so good looking.
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Brown Eyes
 * Brainy Brunette
 * Eye Scream:
 * Hospital Hottie: He's the family doctor.
 * Involuntary Shapeshifting
 * Instant Awesome, Just Add Dragons: Well, yes and no..
 * I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Toward.
 * Not So Above It All: Has a few of moments of not being completely mature and poised. He tricked Yuki and Kyo into taking a photo of them seemingly smiling together only to playfully give the camera to Tohru by putting on her head. He gave Shigure more injections than necessary because the latter was being annoying. He also threatened to tell Shigure's colleagues every embarrassing story he knew about him since he was four if he told Tohru the secret of his zodiac form.
 * Only Sane Man: Compared to his best friends Shigure and Ayame.
 * Peek-a-Bangs: Over the hurt eye.
 * Secret Relationship: With Kana, until he tells Akito about it. Akito does not respond well.
 * The Stoic
 * Not So Stoic: At a few key points.
 * Not So Stoic: At a few key points.

Hatsuharu Sohma (The Ox)


"Voiced by: Akio Suyama (JP), Justin Cook (EN)"


 * A Man Is Not a Virgin
 * Bishonen
 * Bi the Way: Tells Tohru that Yuki was his first love.
 * Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: When he becomes Black Haru.
 * Involuntary Shapeshifting
 * Multicolored Hair: Part white, part black. Prompts a Crowning Moment of Funny when he drags the student council president into the men's room to "prove" it's natural.
 * No Sense of Direction: When they were kids, Kyo had to hold his hand and led him to school. At his introduction he states he was 'lost in the dark heart of the urban jungle' for three days.
 * Psychotic Smirk: Black Haru.
 * Slasher Smile: Black Haru.
 * Split Personality: Black Haru.
 * Super-Powered Evil Side: You guessed it, Black Haru.
 * What the Hell, Hero?: A mighty one

Ayame Sohma (The Snake)


"Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu (JP, drama CD), Mitsuru Miyamoto (JP, series), Christopher Sabat (EN)"


 * Aloof Big Brother: In the Backstory. By the time the series starts, he's gotten over it.
 * The Atoner: Feels guilty for his treatment of Yuki when they were kids, and for how he treated a girl who loved him when he was in school.
 * Big Brother Complex: Inverted; Ayame has a younger brother complex.
 * Bishonen: Considering he's Yuki's brother...
 * Camp Straight: Or possibly Camp Bi the Way.
 * Cursed With Awesome: In Japan, white snakes are considered fortuity and Akito is likely superstitious that was granted. As a result, the shape-shifting Ayame is cursed with has spared him from any attacks since it can be disaster for Akito.
 * Dude Looks Like a Lady: It's the long hair and his effeminate behavior.
 * Homoerotic Subtext: Played for laughs with Shigure as a long-running joke between them.
 * Involuntary Shapeshifting
 * Large Ham: It's refered to as "steamrolling people with his personality."
 * No Sense of Personal Space: Justified when he's in snake form, as he's extremely susceptible to the cold and needs to rely on another person's body heat. Not that this explains him from getting into bed with Kyo (fully clothed) in the middle of the night and snuggling close, mind you.
 * Rapunzel Hair: Down to his back.
 * Shipper On Deck: Seems to support Yuki/Tohru and Kyo/Kagura judging by how he wants to embroider "I live for Kagura" on Kyo's clothing and "I live for Yuki" on Tohru's clothing.
 * What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?: Ayame eats his soba, with great confidence.
 * White-Haired Pretty Boy

Kisa Sohma (The Tiger)


"Voiced by: Kaori Nazuka (JP), Kate Bristol (EN)"


 * All of the Other Reindeer: Her classmates hate her for her unusual looks.
 * Break the Cutie: Courtesy of her classmates.
 * Catgirl: In a way; she just transforms into an adorable tiger kitty.
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Eyes of Gold: Just as adorable as a human, and even sweeter.
 * Hair of Gold
 * Cute Mute: At the beginning.
 * Cute Kitten: Especially when she's already cute as a button as a human girl.
 * Involuntary Shapeshifting
 * Morality Chain: When it comes to Tohru, she plays this role for Hiro.
 * Onee-Sama: Views Tohru as this. Kisa adores her and follows her around a duckling.
 * She Is All Grown Up
 * Zettai Ryouiki

Hiro Sohma (The Sheep)


"Voiced by: Yuriko Fuchizaki (JP), Aaron Dismuke (EN)"


 * Abusive Parents: Notably averted with Hiro, who, unlike most of the Zodiac, has parents who love him just as he is.
 * Adorably Precocious Child
 * Big Brother Instinct: Invoked in the manga after . Present to an extent in his desire to protect Kisa , although he's younger than both of them.
 * Bratty Half-Pint
 * Crazy Jealous Guy
 * Even Bratty Half Pints Love Their Mamas
 * Failure Knight:
 * Green-Eyed Monster: Lashes out against Tohru for her close friendship with Kisa that comforted Kisa when he couldn't. Realizes this was a dumb move when Kisa warns him to back off.
 * Hair-Trigger Temper
 * Hypocritical Humor: "I can't stand people who complain all the time."
 * Inferiority Superiority Complex
 * Involuntary Shapeshifting
 * Mouthy Kid
 * Only Child Syndrome:
 * Pet the Dog: His real love and concern for Kisa  soften his Jerkass Facade considerably.
 * Secret Keeper: For most of the manga, .It weighs heavily on him.
 * Somebody Doesn't Love Raymond: One of the few people not immediately charmed by Tohru, he at first actively baits her. See Green-Eyed Monster.
 * Straight Man: Becomes this a few times in the Beach arc after he decides to cool his hostility towards Tohru compared to Cloudcuckoolander Tohru and occasionally Kisa.
 * Too Clever By Half: Very smart for his age and knows it. This usually doesn't keep his mouth from getting him in trouble or give him the emotional maturity to handle difficult situations.
 * Tsundere: With Kisa. Eventually acts this way to a degree with Tohru as well; while Hiro is never as effusively affectionate toward Tohru as most of the other cursed Sohmas, he does show genuine concern for her and her well-being.

Ritsu Sohma (The Monkey)


"Voiced by: Mina Tominaga (JP), Mike McFarland (EN)"


 * Ambiguous Gender: In-Universe; he's a boy, but due to being a Wholesome Crossdresser, Tohru mistakes him for a girl. Word of God also reveals that his own girlfriend can't tell if he's male or female (not that she cares).
 * Apologizes a Lot: Taken to an extreme.
 * Character Exaggeration: Played with for laughs.
 * Demoted to Extra: The number of chapters in which he appears, including his introduction, can literally be counted on the fingers of one hand.
 * One Episode Wonder: In the anime.
 * Dude Looks Like a Lady
 * Dropped a Bridget On Him: Tohru is very confused when the lovely young "lady" she had met transforms into a monkey in her arms.
 * Fragile Flower: Nearly anything can set off the tears and franatic apologies.
 * Heroic Self-Deprecation: The root of his problems.
 * Involuntary Shapeshifting
 * Large Ham: Because he apologizes that loudly and repeteadly.
 * Wholesome Crossdresser: One of the solutions he tried to not remain quite so insecure.
 * What Could Have Been: Word of God states that there were chapters written to develop a relationship between Ritsu and Mitchan, but Takaya couldn't find a good spot to use them.
 * What Could Have Been: Word of God states that there were chapters written to develop a relationship between Ritsu and Mitchan, but Takaya couldn't find a good spot to use them.

Isuzu "Rin" Sohma (The Horse)



 * Abusive Parents:
 * Bad Dreams
 * Broken Bird
 * Don't You Dare Pity Me!
 * Even the Girls Want Her: Tohru's reaction after seeing her naked (post-transformation).
 * Elegant Gothic Lolita: Dresses like that sometimes.
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars:
 * Ill Girl: Her traumatic past cause her health problems more than once. Specifically, she has stomach ulcerae.
 * She also has a few psychological problems indicated by her hallucinating that Tohru is her mother whom she is begging not to be angry with her.
 * Important Haircut/Traumatic Haircut:
 * Involuntary Shapeshifting
 * Ms. Fanservice: By Word of God, "she's the character in charge of sexiness." Thankfully, she got a very complex personality as well.
 * Screw Destiny: She actively tries to break the curse.
 * Tall, Dark and Bishoujo
 * Tsundere: Towards Tohru, after they become friends and towards Hatsuharu after she breaks up with him.
 * Tall, Dark and Bishoujo
 * Tsundere: Towards Tohru, after they become friends and towards Hatsuharu after she breaks up with him.

Kureno Sohma (The Rooster)

 * Bishonen
 * Brought Down to Normal: Sort of, after.
 * Love Martyr: Arguably was one for.
 * Maintain the Lie:
 * Second Hand Storytelling:.
 * We Would Have Told You But: About Akito's history, when he tells Tohru.

Kazuma Sohma
"Voiced by: Norihiro Inoue (JP), Dameon Clarke (EN)"


 * The Atoner: As a teen, Kazuma treated the former Cat (his grandfather) quite badly. Upon meeting the new Cat, Kyo, he takes him in, having never been able to forgive himself for that.
 * Bishonen: And he's 39.
 * Cool Old Guy: Though he's not really old, Kyo will gladly gush about his cool he is.
 * Hot Shoujo Uncle
 * Important Haircut
 * Lethal Chef: He can't even prepare decent tea.
 * Older Than They Look: He's 39 during his first appearance in Volume 6. At the end of the series, he should be about 41. You wouldn't guess any of this just by looking at him. Even Takaya admits she draws him very young looking.
 * Parental Substitute: To Rin and Kyo.
 * Papa Wolf: He will not allow anyone to mistreat Kyo.

Ren Sohma

 * Child-Hater: She once said that she hated how  swarmed to her and cried.  . She also notes that she has always hated Rin, and Akito remembers her as a cold mother.
 * Evil Matriarch: Ooooh, boy...
 * Love Makes You Evil: Ren originally worked as a maid in the Sohma state, then she was the first person who took care of Ill Boy Akira and reached out to him.
 * Manipulative Bitch
 * Meddling Parents: To some degree. She doesn't believe in the bond but she doesn't do anything about it except trying to use it against Akito.
 * Smug Snake: Beautiful, evil, sly, manipulative, and not just despicable, but in the end, very incompetent.
 * Tall, Dark and Bishoujo
 * Yandere: And holy shit, HOW. Even more than !

Akira Sohma

 * Bishonen: He had an "unearthly beauty", according to people.
 * Ill Boy
 * Lonely Rich Kid: As, people can seldom approach him.
 * White-Haired Pretty Boy
 * White-Haired Pretty Boy

Kana Sohma
"Voiced by: Haruhi Terada (JP), Libby Smith (EN)"


 * Hospital Hottie: Was Hatori's assistant.
 * Naive Everygirl
 * Naive Everygirl
 * Naive Everygirl

Satsuki Sohma
Hiro Sohma's mother, she makes relatively few appearances late in the manga.


 * Children Raise You: Hiro acts like a concerned but exasperated parent to her most of the time. She remarks in one panel how her son always scolds her. In another panel, she responds with a "Yes, sir!" when he tells her to be more careful  (Though her lighthearted tone of voice could mean she just humors him all of the time.)
 * Dojikko: Such a klutz that Hiro is paranoid she's bound to trip down a flight of stairs. He's especially freaked out.
 * Doting Parent: Aside from Kagura's mother, she's the only mother of a Zodiac child we see who neither rejected him nor became overprotective.
 * Genki Girl
 * Good Parents: Satsuki is one of the only parents of Zodiac members who openly loves her kid
 * Hot Mom
 * Obfuscating Genkiness: She's a lot more aware of Hiro's emotional sore spots than he realizes.
 * Open-Minded Parent: Unperturbed that her son turns into a sheep. Heck, when he transformed when she held him for the very first time, her reaction was, "I love sheep!"
 * Savvy Son Energetic Mom
 * Shipper On Deck: Openly anticipates gaining Kisa as a daughter-in-law, much to Hiro's horror.
 * So Proud of You

Meshou Souma
"Voiced by: Junko Yamamoto (JP), Julie Mayfield (EN)"

Ritsu's mother, and the manager of a hot springs owned by the clan.


 * Apologizes a Lot: And how!
 * Canon Immigrant: She apparently appeared in one of Natsuki Takaya's earlier stories.
 * Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette
 * Fragile Flower
 * Like Mother Like Son: Ritsu didn't get his Fragile Flower side from thin air.
 * My Beloved Smother: Sympathetic example, because...
 * Parents As People: For all of her faults, she adores Ritsu.
 * Stringy Haired Ghost Girl: Not a ghost, and certainly not a young girl, but has the looks and she has been mistaken as a ghost.

Tohru's Friends

 * I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Non-romantically, towards Tohru.
 * Three Amigos: With Tohru.

Arisa Uotani
"Voiced by: Yuka Imai (JP), Parisa Fakhri (EN)"


 * Bokukko
 * Cool Big Sis: After lecturing to three middle school aged yankii wannabes, they start respecting her and one starts calling her Onee-Sama.
 * Delinquents: See Grumpy Bear. Even now, she still carries a metal pipe.
 * Grumpy Bear: Until befriending Kyoko and Tohru she was grumpy and violent.
 * The Ladette
 * New Job Episode: Does various part time jobs.
 * Parental Abandonment: When she was very young, her mother left her and her father to marry another man.
 * Peek-a-Bangs
 * Volleying Insults: With Kyo.
 * Volleying Insults: With Kyo.
 * Volleying Insults: With Kyo.

Saki Hanajima
"Voiced by: Yuko Minaguchi (JP, drama CD), Reiko Yasuhara (JP, series), Daphne Gere (EN)"


 * All of the Other Reindeer: Her Strange Girl infamy first brought her bullying at first, then almost complete isolation... until Tohru and Arisa break through her defenses.
 * Book Dumb: She's not really, but she fails her tests because the make-up ones are easier.
 * Expressive Hair
 * Elegant Gothic Lolita
 * Good Parents: Her parents and grandmother are endlessly loving and supportive of her, especially when she was being bullied and ostracized. They also aren't too bothered by her powers. Heck, her little brother Megumi takes after them and is pretty protective of her sometimes.
 * Invisible to Normals: Hanajima's denpa waves.
 * Psychic Powers: She reads auras and can potentially kill with her "denpa waves".
 * The Stoic: Always monotone, rarely emotional.
 * Strange Girl
 * When She Smiles

Megumi Hanajima
"Voiced by: Omi Minami (JP), Hollie Townson (EN)"


 * Creepy Child: Genre Savvy enough to deliberately exploit it.
 * I Know Your True Name: According to him.
 * Likes Older Women: He's pretty subtle about it but he mentions once how "interesting" it is for him to be the only boy amongst three women (Saki, Tohru, and Arisa). Then there was his forward comment about visiting Arisa at work to see her in a miniskirt...
 * Wise Beyond Their Years: Upon hearing the plan of the Prince Yuki Fan Club girls, he gives them a speech about how they're being selfish by forcing their one-sided affections on Yuki and that he would come to hate them for driving away the people he allows into his life. His words even reach Saki, who had been suffering from her own mild jealousy of Tohru's friendships with the Sohmas.

Tohru's Parents

 * Deceased Parents Are the Best: Tohru quotes Kyoko's words quite a few times in the manga; also Kyoko helping in the flashbacks.
 * Posthumous Character

Kyoko Honda, née Katsunuma
"Voiced by: Reiko Yasuhara (JP), Julie Mayfield (EN)"


 * Adult Fear: A flashback reveals a pregnant Kyoko terrified that her relationship with Tohru would go the way of hers with her own mother.
 * Also, when little Tohru got lost, Kyouko went ballistic on the police because it was very hard to find her.
 * Big Ol' Eyebrows: Inverted -- Katsuya makes fun of Kyoko because she doesn't have eyebrows.
 * Broken Bird: Until Katsuya offers her a helping hand.
 * Broken Pedestal: Arisa was not happy to discover that the "Red Butterfly" she'd admired had turned into a Doting Mother. However, after she slowly warmed up to her and when she, she admired her again.
 * Delinquents: In her teenage years.
 * Former Teen Rebel
 * Grumpy Bear: For a while.
 * Hot Mom
 * Open-Minded Parent
 * Parental Neglect: Kyoko's Freudian Excuse when she was young, since the Katsunumas emotionally ignored her and were only worried about her giving them a bad rep.
 * The Red Baron: Was known as "The Red Butterfly" during her delinquent days, since the image of the red taillight on her bicycle was said to resemble a flitting butterfly as she rode it.
 * Team Mom: Where Tohru got it from.
 * Yamato Nadeshiko: After marrying Katsuya, she is happy to be a loving mother and Housewife and finally experience living in a happy family... and then, in Uotani's backstory, we see that she beats the tar out of a group of delinquents to save Arisa. In 's flashback to when little Tohru went missing, we also see her threaten to "rain death upon [the police's] miserable souls" if they don't find her baby. That's the kind of inner iron that seperates the docile Housewife pushover Extreme Doormat from Yamato Nadeshiko.
 * Team Mom: Where Tohru got it from.
 * Yamato Nadeshiko: After marrying Katsuya, she is happy to be a loving mother and Housewife and finally experience living in a happy family... and then, in Uotani's backstory, we see that she beats the tar out of a group of delinquents to save Arisa. In 's flashback to when little Tohru went missing, we also see her threaten to "rain death upon [the police's] miserable souls" if they don't find her baby. That's the kind of inner iron that seperates the docile Housewife pushover Extreme Doormat from Yamato Nadeshiko.

Katsuya Honda

 * Big Brother Mentor: He was this to Kyoko, before they fell in love.
 * Bishonen
 * Happily Married
 * Hot for Student: Katsuya was Kyoko's student teacher and counselor before they got married.
 * Hot Teacher
 * Hot Dad
 * Incurable Cough of Death: Katsuya died of a badly-treated flu.

Machi Kuragi

 * Birds of a Feather: With, due to their Abusive Parents and being pushed towards perfection.
 * I Can't Believe a Guy Like You Would Notice Me: To.
 * No Good Deed Goes Unpunished:
 * Parental Neglect: Both Machi and Kakeru were forced by their parents into a bitter inheritance rivalry, the result being that she became quiet, removed from society, and despised anything she considered "perfect." Her mother then openly tells a friend that Machi is "dull" and that she prefers her new baby boy.
 * Shrinking Violet
 * Sibling Yin-Yang" With Kakeru, even though they are only half siblings.
 * The Unfavourite
 * Yuki Kaida: In the CD dramas.

Kakeru Manabe

 * Abusive Parents: Look at Machi's section. He wasn't that abused in comparison, but it doesn't mean he wasn't affected. Once he rebelled his mom had a change of heart.
 * Aw, Look -- They Really Do Love Each Other: Kakeru teases his girlfriend a lot, but they really do love each other.
 * Bishonen
 * Hey, You: Claims this is one of his nicknames.
 * Kenichi Suzumura: In the CD dramas.
 * One Side of the Story: Parodied.
 * Ted Baxter
 * Sibling Yin-Yang: With Machi.
 * Wacky Guy

Kimi Todou

 * Attention Whore: For men, at least.
 * Kawaiiko
 * Gold Digger: A rare good-hearted version, as she doesn't use the gifts she gets for her own benefit but for the council's.
 * Lovable Alpha Bitch: Cute, vain, spoiled, popular with the boys, and intentionally antagonizes the Prince Yuki Fanclub but is otherwise pretty harmless to everyone else.
 * Third Person Person
 * Yukari Tamura: In the CD dramas.

Naohito Sakuragi

 * Chew Toy
 * The Comically Serious
 * The Napoleon: And it doesn't help that Manabe's nickname for him is "Chibisuke."
 * Only Sane Man - In his eyes, at least.

Prince Yuki's Fanclub (Minami Kinoshita, Mio Yamagichi, Mai Gotou and Rika Aida, with Motoko Minagawa as Alpha Bitch)

 * Girl Posse
 * Murder the Hypotenuse: Their attitude towards whoever they perceive as a threat to Yuki: Tohru and later Kimi, specifically.
 * Romantic Runner-Up: All of them, for Yuki.
 * Unwanted Harem

Motoko Minagawa
"Voiced by: Kaori Shimizu (JP), Jamie Marchi (EN)"


 * Alpha Bitch: The leader of the group who hates the kindhearted Tohru and plans to be rid of her.
 * Hypocrite: She makes a passionate, jealousy-fueled outburst telling Tohru (who was not even present) to stay away from Yuki. She leaves to clear her head and realizes that the selfish fangirls she despises who want Yuki all to themselves have negative qualities that she sees in herself.
 * Large Ham: And is passionate about it.
 * Tongue-Tied: Simply cannot tell Yuki how much she likes him.
 * Tongue-Tied: Simply cannot tell Yuki how much she likes him.

Komaki Nakao

 * Disappeared Dad: Who died in a car crash.
 * Genki Girl
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Meat!
 * Tsundere: Lightly, to Kakeru. With an attitude like his, can you blame her?
 * What the Hell, Hero?:

Mine Kuramae (Ayame's assistant)
---
 * Adorkable
 * Cosplay Otaku Girl
 * Meganekko
 * Meido/Elegant Gothic Lolita

Mayuko "Mayu-chan-sensei" Shiraki

 * Christmas Cake
 * Cool Big Sis
 * He Will Not Cry, So I Cry for Him"
 * Stern Teacher
 * Temporary Love Interest: To Shigure, but they broke it off after a month.
 * Temporary Love Interest: To Shigure, but they broke it off after a month.

Mitsuru aka Mit-chan

 * Akemi Okamura
 * Playing Against Type
 * Beleaguered Assistant: Well, editor, but Shigure just drives the poor woman crazy.
 * Birds of a Feather: With Ritsu.
 * Bi the Way: Word of God says that she neither knows, nor cares, if Ritsu is male or female.
 * The Chew Toy: Comes with the territory of being Shigure's editor.
 * Fragile Flower
 * Suicide As Comedy: When Tohru meets her, she's on the verge of killing herself with a box cutter because Shigure has run off without meeting his deadlines again. Later, we see her writing a suicide note to her parents for the exact same reason. Shigure thinks it's funny.

Other character tropes

 * Dynamic Entry: Hatsuharu and Kagura.
 * Dysfunction Junction: Everyone either has or had some major problems in their lives.
 * Miniature Senior Citizens: Tohru's grandpa.
 * Muggles: Everyone besides Hana, Megumi, and the Zodiac members.
 * Posthumous Character: Akira, amongst other minor characters.
 * Student Council President: Makoto Takei, before he graduates.
 * Your Favorite: Tohru's grandfather brings it to her mother's grave.