About “Fruits Basket” in a few words:

Fruits Basket is a popular Japanese manga and anime series created by Natsuki Takaya. The story follows Tohru Honda, an orphaned high school girl who discovers the secret of the Sohma family. Members of this family are cursed to turn into animals of the zodiac when they are hugged by someone of the opposite gender. As Tohru befriends the Sohmas, she becomes entangled in their complicated family dynamics and helps them confront their past traumas. Fruits Basket explores themes of love, friendship, acceptance, and healing.

Meet the characters from Fruits Basket

Hiro Sohma

Okay, Hiro is one of those quietly steady people who just makes you feel like everything will be okay — like a warm blanket that also somehow knows how to fix a leaky faucet. He’s ridiculously gentle and patient (and honestly a little too willing to be the “nice guy,” which he’ll deny loudly), but he also has this small stubborn streak that surprises you when he refuses to let someone be sad. He’s not flashy, doesn’t crave attention, but he notices the tiny things — the socks that don’t match, the half-drunk mug — and treats them like clues. Also, random detail: he collects…uh, vintage stickers? Or was it stamp albums? I’m pretty sure it was stickers, but who knows.

Kisa Sohma

Kisa is the absolute cinnamon roll of the group, shy and squishy and so soft you want to protect her from everything (including her own racing thoughts). She’s small and timid but has this fierce little spark inside — bursts of stubbornness and surprising courage that come out when she’s pushed, and then she’ll squeak and apologize like three times. She loves drawing and stuffed animals and maybe watches terrible action movies and cries at the explosions (or is that just me imagining?). Tiny contradiction: she’s terrified of thunder but will stand up to a bully without a second thought.

Hatori Sohma

Hatori is the brooding, calm doctor who seems like he’ll lecture you about sleep schedules but will also make you tea at midnight and sneak in terrible jokes when you’re not looking. He’s got this immense weight of responsibility (serious, responsible energy) and a melancholy that follows him around like a polite cloud — he’s kind but stoic, like a tragic librarian. He remembers things other people forget and carries other people’s secrets the way some people carry umbrellas — quietly and inevitably. Also, okay, sometimes he sounds like he doesn’t care, but then he’ll fix your shirt or your life or both, so he definitely does.

Kagura Sohma

Kagura is loud, dramatic, and will declare her love by tackling you to the ground — and yes, she totally means it, even when it’s over the top and a bit frightening (in the best, most honest way). She swings between clingy and violent on the emotional scale; one minute she’s baking you cookies, the next she’s ready to punch a wall because feelings are complicated. She’s fiercely loyal and scarily passionate, the kind of person who would recite poetry at your funeral and then drag you back to life with a questionable casserole. Also she has this goofy habit of quoting old samurai movies at breakfast, which I love and which makes zero sense.

Ayame Sohma

Oh Ayame — flamboyant prince of unfiltered fashion commentary and theatrical entrances, bless him. He lives like every day is a runway show and every conversation is his stage, but beneath the sparkle is a surprisingly tender older brother who loves Yuki in that infuriatingly affectionate way that makes you roll your eyes and then feel a little warm. He’s dramatic and deeply empathetic (also wildly opinionated about capes, scarves, and the correct sunset hues), and he’ll give you life advice in poetic metaphors that sometimes make sense. Slight contradiction alert: he’s unbelievably confident but also gets weirdly anxious about small social things, which is adorable and kind of humanizing.

Isuzu (Rin) Sohma

Rin is the “don’t mess with me” type who secretly has a soft spot for stray cats and bad puns — she’s tough, controlled, and the kind of person people ask for when they want a direct answer. She keeps people at arm’s length with a cold stare (and an even colder honesty), but when she does open up it’s intense and forever, which is terrifying and beautiful at the same time. There’s a depth to her loyalty that makes her unpredictable in the best way: one minute blunt, the next minute all-in. Also, random: she likes coffee but pretends she hates it — classic Rin.

Arisa Uotani

Uotani is the best friend you want when you’re up at 3 am crying or planning an ill-advised road trip — part tough ex-delinquent, part absolute sweetheart, all heart. She’s loud, blunt, and will absolutely punch someone for you (and then sit quietly and braid your hair afterwards), which is iconically her. Her fierce protectiveness pairs oddly well with her soft spot for ridiculous little things like stuffed animals and nostalgic boy band songs, and she’s endlessly loyal to a fault. She claims to be overdramatic but will show up in a ridiculous outfit with snacks and a battle plan, which I adore.

Tohru Honda

Tohru is sunshine personified — earnest, impossibly kind, and somehow able to make a broken room feel like home just by being there. She’s naive at times (yes, sometimes painfully so), but that’s part of her charm; she’s endlessly forgiving, notices everyone’s little pains, and tries to fix them even if she doesn’t always know how. People underestimate her because she smiles so much, but she has a quiet strength that holds everything together, and she’s honestly the emotional glue of the group. Little quirky fact: she’s somehow both a walking disaster in the kitchen and the person who’ll organize your life into color-coded boxes with labels.

Kyo Sohma

Kyo is the fiery ball of anger and awkwardness that somehow melts into this horribly sweet, defensive cinnamon roll when people get too close. He’s explosive, competitive (Yuki rivalry forever), and has this messy, growly exterior that hides deep insecurity and a terrifyingly loyal heart. He will punch things, he will pout, and then he’ll make you the worst tea and the best apology ever — contradictory but consistent in a very Kyo way. Also he collects grudges like trophies but will give you his last granola bar without thinking, so balance.

Yuki Sohma

Yuki is the pretty, cool, slightly porcelain prince who makes everyone sigh and also roll their eyes because he’s dramatic in his own quiet way. He’s refined and distant on the surface, painfully insecure underneath (hello, soft spot for validation), and he has this lonely elegance that draws people to him even when he’s pretending not to care. He’s the type to write a perfect essay and then spend four hours spiraling about what to wear to hand it in — very cute, very frustrating. Tiny contradiction: everybody thinks he’s untouchable, but he’s actually the one most likely to call his mom at midnight.