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Kureno Sohma

Kureno Sohma (草摩 紅野, Sōma Kureno) is one of the recurring characters in the Fruits Basket anime and manga series.

“
I alone am free. I could go anywhere I please. I could love whomever I wish. But that’s exactly why I have to…I have to stay with Akito.
 ”
Kureno Sohma

Appearance

https://everipedia.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/shibuya.jpg

Kureno’s face

Kureno is a handsome young man with a tall, slender yet well-toned build. He has straight, short auburn reddish hair, brown in the anime, that reaches his nape, with two small cowlicks sticking up from the top of his head. His bangs are slightly messy, parting into an “M” shape on the left side and covering much of his forehead. He has calm, gentle reddish brown eyes, which also appear brown in the anime.

Kureno typically dresses in a professional manner and is rarely seen without a suit. His usual attire consists of a black vest worn over an unbuttoned gray shirt with no tie, paired with black trousers and brown shoes. However, since he dislikes wearing formal clothes, he actually prefers simple, light-colored outfits that help him blend into the background and avoid drawing attention to himself.

Photo 1

Kureno on the cover of Volume 14
Photo 2

Appearance in Manga


Photo Section

Photo Section with Captions

Personality

Kureno is often compared to Tohru Honda for his kindness, politeness, and slightly scatterbrained nature. He tends to care more for others than for himself. Because Akito rarely allows him to leave the Sohma estate, he has little experience in the outside world. This is shown when he first meets Arisa at her convenience store job, where he clumsily drops his groceries after realizing he could have used a basket.

Kureno’s defining trait is his selfless kindness, which is both his strength and weakness. His gentle nature allows Akito to control his life, as he is too kind to oppose her or leave her alone. Feeling guilty for being the only Zodiac freed from the curse, he stays with Akito to keep her from being lonely, even though he knows her heart belongs to Shigure. Despite being hurt by her, he never holds resentment and continues to forgive her.

Calm, polite, and compassionate, Kureno keeps his desires to himself, including his wish to be with Arisa and to live freely. Eventually, he realizes that staying with Akito only prevents her from moving forward. Choosing to live his own life, he leaves the Sohma estate and begins to experience the world he had long been denied.

History

On the day Ren Sohma became pregnant with Akito, Kureno dreamed of a faint, transparent Akito telling him they would meet soon, bringing him to tears. When Akito was born, Kureno, along with Shigure, Hatori, and Ayame, gathered around Ren, believing “God” resided within her. After Akito’s birth and the decision to raise her as a boy, the four were told to keep it secret.

At sixteen, Kureno’s curse suddenly broke without warning. When Akito sensed this, she panicked, fearing the loss of her bonds with the Zodiac. Desperate, she begged Kureno to stay with her forever. Pitying her and unable to bear her pain, Kureno agreed to remain by her side and continued to act as if his bond still existed. From then on, he never left the Sohma estate, and over time, their relationship became romantic, straining his friendship with Shigure.

Etymology

  • The nameKurenomeans “crimson, deep red” (紅) (kure) and “field, wilderness” (野) (no).

Trivia

  • According to the officialFruits Basket Character Book:
    • Kureno’s name is derived fromKurenoharuor “late spring”, which is actually the month of the Rabbit on the Japanese calendar. This was due to a mix-up withMomiji Sohma‘s name, as he was originally supposed to be named afterMomijizukior “autumn leaves” month, which is the month of the Rooster.
    • Kureno doesn’t wear white shirts (except when school uniforms used to require them). It’s a color he feels an aversion to, and he avoids wearing it because he wants to blend in and not draw attention to himself.
    • Natsuki Takayaalso mentions that she doesn’t put Kureno in suits, because “it makes him look too much like Hatori”.
    • Before having his curse broken, Kureno transformed into a sparrow instead of a rooster, like in the original Chinese Zodiac. Shigure theorizes that it is a sign of the curse weakening.
  • Arisa describes Kureno as the kind of person who could step in dog poo and not notice.
  • He is the final Zodiac to officially meet Tohru and the first to have his curse broken.
  • Despite being freed from the curse, Kureno says he misses being able to fly.
  • Arisa mentions that Kureno is like a male Tohru. This is especially evident since his first meeting with Arisa mirrors her first meeting with Tohru.
    • Kureno is actually a bit more focused than Tohru, due to being forced to look after Akito for years; he was forced to be more mature for the sake of looking out for her.
  • A few years after the main storyline, Kureno is seen walking around with a cane. This implies that he may have suffered the consequences of being stabbed by Akito.[4]
  • Like Isuzu Sohma, he never made an appearance in 2001 Anime ofFruits Basket, but he appeared in the anime as the finch constantly in Akito’s company.