She Said Don't Step on Them!

is the sixteenth episode of the first season of the Fruits Basket 2019 Anime.

Summary
Uotani plans a group gift for Tohru. Then, the Sohmas learn more about Uotani's past.

Plot
The beginning of the episode shows a younger Uotani with shorter hair coming home late at night. Her father is sitting, glued to the TV, and doesn't notice her enter. It then comes back to present day, where it's summer and Uotani, Tohru, and Hana are relaxing in the school pool. Uo is very upset by the fact that Tohru is still wearing her school swimsuit from middle school even though they can wear different suits now. Tohru didn't want to be wasteful, but decides she could buy a new suit if it will make Uo happy. Before Tohru can buy it, Uo forces Kyo, Yuki, and Hana to chip in to buy it, much to the boys' embarrassment. Shigure is happy to help, and is appalled to learn Tohru is still using her old suit. Uo embarrasses the boys while shopping by asking them what styles and colors suit Tohru best, though Hana decides Tohru's color is pink anyway, completely ignoring their suggestions. While they're talking, three younger girls from a gang stalk Uo, upset at her for leaving crime behind and living in respectable circles, though they are amazed by Kyo and Yuki's beauty and snap pictures from the side.

Over lunch, Uo and Tohru reflect on their friendship, and Uotani's past. As part of the gang, Uo looked up to Tohru's mother, who was the tough leader of an all-female motorcycle game before she became a mother. She later learned that Kyoko lived nearby and had a child that went to Uo's school. While at school, she keeps her eye out for "the Crimson Butterfly's" daughter, thinking she must be a "total delinquent badass," and hoping that by meeting her she could meet Kyoko. She runs into Tohru and accidentally knocks books from her hands, which people start walking on. When no one listens to Tohru's please to stop stepping on her books, Uo explodes and yells at everyone, "She said don't step on them!" and proceeds to both help Tohru pick up the books and chastise her for zoning out. She finds out that Tohru is Kyoko's daughter. Tohru invites Uo over to meet her mother and have dinner with them, and treats Uo very kindly in spite of being a gang member. Uo is surprised at how different Tohru is from the image she had created of how Kyoko's daughter should be. While at their home, Uo is disgusted by how Kyoko has gone from powerful member of a street game to a doting mother and yells at her for not being the person she imagined her to be. Kyoko is not offended, and says she simply relaxed a bit, and it feels nice. Uo angrily storms out, and Tohru runs after her to give back her mask, calling her "Uo-chan." Uo yells at Tohru and says she's not her friend.

While going home, Uo thinks about how uncomfortable she felt at Kyoko's home, and how out of place she felt. Uo rebels further, fighting, ditching school, and stealing. She reflects on how her mother left when she was a little girl, leaving her alone with her drunk dad, and how you can get used to a lot of things whether you want to or not.

Trivia

 * The episode title is taken from one of Arisa Uotani's lines.
 * This episode covers Arisa's backstory for a two-parter from Chapter 39 and up to the middle of Chapter 40, though the order of which Arisa explained her backstory got shuffled around a bit in this episode.
 * However, Arisa's backstory was not originally depicted until later in Volume 7 of the manga with Chapters 39-41.
 * This is the first episode to show a short scene after the ending credits. The scene shows the three gang girls who were following Uo practicing verbal threats. They then all turn on Momiji, practicing threats on him. He pretends to not understand and responds in German.

Anime and Manga Differences

 * The opening depicting a younger Arisa entering her apartment at night was added for the anime.
 * The conversation that Arisa and Saki have over Tohru wearing a school swimsuit took place while the girls were in a locker room changing clothes in the manga instead of while observing Tohru swimming in the pool.
 * The comparison Arisa made of Tohru’s swimsuit situation was not visually depicted in the manga.
 * While Arisa talked with the Sohmas about getting Tohru a swimsuit, Kyo and Shigure were shown with clothes having pattern designs in the manga. Plus when Tohru arrives in the room in the manga, she has a more simpler dress on. Saki also has a more simpler dress she wears in the manga as well.
 * While shopping for Tohru’s swimsuit, Kyo and Yuki were shown standing up in the manga instead of sitting on a bench.
 * The brief shot showing Saki having Tohru share her thoughts of some swimsuits while Arisa goes after the Sohmas boys was added for the anime.
 * Before Yuki and Kyo argued over the kind of color they’d like for Tohru’s swimsuit, there was a pause between when they declared their colors and started their argument, where the boys and Arisa were depicted in stick figure form in the manga.
 * Tohru was more flustered in the manga when receiving her gift from Saki, Arisa, and the boys.
 * When Arisa mentions her past as part of a gang of delinquents, there is a bit removed where a stunned Kyo remarked about it and Arisa commenting that she was a bad girl back then.
 * When Arisa is describing her delinquent days, the flashback was depicted differently in the manga. Instead of showing her in a fight, Arisa is shown standing while a rain of black feathers fall around her.
 * All flashback scenes depicting Arisa as a middle school delinquent had her mask color being white in the manga instead of black.
 * The scene showing the delinquents spying on Tohru and her friends was depicted after Arisa explained about her first meeting with Kyoko and Tohru in the manga instead of before it.
 * The scene showing Tohru and friends getting their meals and Yuki asking Tohru about her mother’s past as a delinquent was added for the anime. In addition, Arisa’s story about how she met Tohru and Kyoko was told while the group were waiting for their meals in the manga.
 * All scenes depicting Kyoko as a delinquent riding on a motorcycle at night were added for the anime.
 * The delinquents in Arisa’s gang are not shown smoking cigarettes in the anime.
 * The bit showing Arisa being bewildered at the thought of Tohru being in the same middle school as her was added for the anime.
 * There were more students shown in the anime stepping on the books that Tohru was trying to pick up in the anime.
 * Upon learning that Tohru was Kyoko’s daughter in the manga, Arisa was threatening to punch Tohru in reaction to this.
 * When Kyoko meets up with Tohru and Arisa, she is shown to be wearing a long-length skirt in the manga instead of jeans.
 * Tohru’s line of what she was preparing for dinner when talking with her mother was added for the anime.
 * The scene showing Kyoko and Tohru noticing that Arisa forgot her mask was added for the anime.
 * One of Arisa’s gang members observing Arisa’s outburst at Tohru was added for the anime.
 * Some of the dialogue by Arisa explaining she is content with her life as a delinquent was added for the anime.
 * The visual depiction of Arisa’s mother leaving her as a child was added for the anime.
 * The scene showing Arisa returning home to observe her father watching TV and recalling her meeting with Kyoko and Tohru was expanded for the anime.
 * The scene depicting the three delinquent girls practicing verbal threats and running into Momiji was added for the anime.

Episodio 16 (2019) Ne marchez pas dessus ! エピソード16（2019）