Isuzu's Mother

She is the estranged mother of Isuzu Sohma.

Appearance
She is a fair-skinned woman in her middle age with dirty-blonde, wavy hair reaching down to lower-chin-length. Her eyes are always seen being obscured by a shadow. During her appearances, she is seen wearing simple blouses and long skirts, along with an apron while in the kitchen.

Personality
She was initially seen to be a kind and doting mother, always seen with a smile on her face, who loved her daughter deeply. However, when Isuzu questioned her parent’s love, her loving personality is revealed to have been an act, as she turned into an incredibly angry, self-entitled, and violent woman who broke things in fits of rage and emotionally and physically abused her daughter. When she was calm, she appeared to be very selfish, as she abandoned Isuzu without a second thought without thinking about the trauma she and her husband had inflicted on her.

History
At an unknown point, she married her husband and gave birth to Isuzu, who was cursed by the spirit of the Horse. Despite being cursed, Isuzu’s parents would constantly assure her that they had a happy home and that they loved her very much, never arguing or getting mad at one another. Isuzu, who although loved her parents deeply, thought their behavior was similar to being in a play, and such, she innocently questioned if they really were happy and if there wasn’t anything that made them sad. This made her mother’s smile turn into a frown, and she consequently began screaming at Isuzu and threw and broke things all over the place, questioning her for whose sake they had been pretending for.

Following this, it is revealed that both her husband and she hated Isuzu; she was a burden to them, but they tried to cover it up and repressed these feelings for years before they broke. It is implied that they regularly had mood swings and abused Isuzu as well, noting that they didn’t want her, but Isuzu always held on to the hope that they would be able to go back to the “loving” family they once were. One day, a middle-schooler Isuzu, who had grown so weak from her trauma and her parent’s abuse, downright collapsed in the streets, where she was later brought to the hospital. There, her mother suddenly appeared and told her that it would be better if she never saw her again, since she didn't know how to love her anymore. As the doctor escorted her out, Hatsuharu Sohma delivered a tongue-lashing about her selfish actions, which visibly surprised her, but he was physically restrained by Kazuma Sohma.

From there, she has lived separate from her daughter and has no contact with her. Despite this, Isuzu was deeply wounded and traumatized by her parent’s abuse, as she sometimes has mental breakdowns while having flashbacks about them. On the other hand, she also remembers how her mother used to treat her gently before. Isuzu is often reminded of her mother while in Tohru Honda’s presence, and thus unconsciously sees the latter as the loving and caring mother she never actually had.

Isuzu Sohma
She initially seemed to love Isuzu dearly; she played with her, took care of her gently, and always assured that she was loved. However, it was later revealed that she had only been pretending to love her to uphold their image as a “happy family”. After Isuzu posed the innocent questions that changed the family’s dynamic, she became an incredibly violent mother who was actually revealed to hate Isuzu, and it is implied that she abused her daughter for years. At last, she couldn't bear the mere thought of Isuzu’s existence, so she visited her in the hospital and told her that it would be fine if she went somewhere she never had to see her again, since she did not and could never love her anymore. Her actions caused great grief and trauma for Isuzu, and suffers from the after-effects after many years.

Trivia

 * Her name is never mentioned.

Mère de Isuzu