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Spoiler! This page contains major plot spoilers related to the Fruits Basket manga, not yet revealed in the anime. Read at your own risk! |
| Hiro Sohma | |
|---|---|
| Kanji | 草摩 燈路 |
| Rōmaji | Sōma Hiro |
| Also known as | Hii-kun (by Shigure) |
| Description | |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 12-13 |
| Height | 153 cm / 5'1" |
| Weight | 40 kg / 88.185 lbs |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown (Manga & 2019 Anime) Light Brown (2001 anime) |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Blood Type | AB |
| Cursed Year | Sheep |
| Actual Year | Rabbit |
| Astrological Sign | Leo |
| Professional Status | |
| Occupation | Student |
| Affiliation | Unnamed Elementary School Sohma Family |
| Relatives | |
| Parents | Unnamed Father Satsuki Sohma (Mother) |
| Siblings | Hinata Sohma (Younger Sister) Unnamed Brother |
| Debut | |
| Manga | Chapter 37 |
| Anime | Episode 21 (2001) Episode 20 (2019) |
| Voice Actors | |
| Japanese | Yuriko Fuchizaki (2001) Yō Taichi (2019) |
| English | Aaron Dismuke (2001) Luci Christian (2019) |
| “ | How shameful. I want to be the only one who can help the one I care about. | ” |
—Hiro Sohma | ||
Hiro Sohma (草摩 燈路, Sōma Hiro, "Hiro Soma"[1]) is one of the recurring characters of the Fruits Basket series. He is the son of Satsuki Sohma and the older brother of Hinata Sohma by twelve years.
He is the Sheep of the Chinese Zodiac. He is the youngest of the Cursed Sohmas, being 12 years old and in sixth grade at the beginning of the series. He tends to criticize people and seems older than he really is, but frequently regrets what he says to others when he is made aware of how insensitive his remarks can be.
He is best friends with Kisa Sohma and loves her more than anything.
Appearance
Hiro is a young boy with an average build who is tall for his age. He is rarely seen smiling, but will perk up a smile at times. He has short, spiked brown hair which sticks out at all angles. His bangs resemble that of a leaf, which mostly covers his forehead.
Hiro is often depicted in his school uniform, or shown wearing a dark green shirt and pants. He hates slovenliness, so he dresses carefully and always wears neatly tailored clothing. He doesn't like wearing accessories, unless it's something small to accent Western Clothing. It is also mentioned that he prefers winter clothes just like Hatsuharu Sohma.[2]
Personality
Hiro is prickly and easily riled up, and takes a bit longer to warm up to Tohru Honda than everyone else does. He was initially seen being very rude towards Tohru, and makes putdowns about her weaknesses. He also lashes out against Tohru for her close friendship with Kisa because she comforted her when he couldn't. However, Hiro soon realizes his mistakes and that this was a stupid move when Kisa confronts him about it.
Hiro is exceedingly good at making sarcastic comments and complaining, as he is very prone to insulting people and delivering snarky remarks. He even indirectly makes Tohru cry at one point during the vacation at the Sohma beach house. He enjoys quibbling and can talk circles around most adults. He uses pretentiously large words and can keep arguing without even pausing for breath, until people like Tohru can't keep up.[2] He has a degree of hypocritical humor; as while he can't stand people who complain all the time, he does a fair share of complaining too. He also points out that Tohru is too clingy with her mother when it turns out he's just as fond of his own mother.
Hiro has a "tsundere" personality with Kisa, as although he loves her more than anything, he has trouble expressing himself around her. He will also get very shy and timid once around Kisa. He also 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.
Hiro is a very serious young boy, though this usually doesn't keep his mouth from getting him in trouble or give him the emotional maturity to handle difficult situations. Despite his arrogant personality and acting like he's above everyone else, he feels horrible about not being able to help Kisa and Isuzu Sohma (Rin) when they needed help the most. Since he had to keep quiet about Isuzu's incident and the truth about her injuries, it weighs heavily on him. And he breaks down in tears when he can't hold back anymore and explains the truth to Hatsuharu Sohma. While he often sounds accusing and often makes people dislike him unnecessarily, he realizes that he should stop talking so harshly, and hates himself for picking trivial fights. However, he has such trouble expressing his feelings honestly that sometimes argumentative things are all that come out.[2]
Throughout the series, while he remains the person he is at heart, he is actively trying to change for the better and mature, because Hiro himself is aware of his tendency to act like a childish brat. He loves his family deeply, as he always protects his mother. Hiro's personality was half-stemmed from his mother's ditzy and clumsy persona saying that one day he looked at her and thought "I have to be strong". When his younger sister Hinata is born, Hiro becomes a very loving and doting older brother. Hiro is also always looking out for others and shows his devotion to help them while in distress.
Story Overview
Pre-Fruits Basket
When Hiro was born two months prematurely and transformed into a sheep upon being hugged by his mother, she exclaimed "I love sheep!", being neither rejecting or overprotective. She has always treated him as a normal boy, greeting him with affection and never minding his transformations. If anything, it only spurs her to hug him more. His father is also mentioned to love him, and they have a very peaceful and loving life. Hiro, on the other hand, is overprotective of his mother because she is quite the klutz.
Hiro's Confession
Hiro and Kisa have been best friends throughout elementary school, and the two would often spend time together. Eventually, Hiro developed feelings for Kisa, and he wanted to make sure the Head of the Sohma Family, Akito Sohma, knew. When he confessed to Akito that he was in love with Kisa, Akito became furious and proceeded to injure Kisa, which lead to her having to stay in the hospital for two weeks to recover.
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Hiro visits an injured Kisa in the hospital.
While visiting Kisa in the hospital, Hiro knew that his confession had led Akito to attack Kisa and could only blame himself on the incident. Since he didn't want Akito to hurt Kisa again or didn't want Kisa to get hurt in general, he began avoiding her ever since she entered middle school. When he found out she was being picked on by the other kids, he felt useless and was not able to do anything as it would be awkward for him to suddenly defend her after months of ignoring her.[3]
Witnessing Isuzu
Hiro accidentally witnessed Akito pushing Isuzu Sohma out of a window, which later causes Hiro some distress, because he found out about Hatsuharu Sohma and Isuzu dating. Hiro knew that Hatsuharu would never forgive Akito for that act if he told the older boy. Isuzu and Akito forced him not to tell Hatsuharu about the incident that Hiro had witnessed.
Fruits Basket
Second Year Arc
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Hiro and Tohru's first meeting.
He first meets Tohru Honda while she is on her way to work. He throws his shoe onto the ground and orders her to pick it up. When she does, he begins lecturing her about always obeying orders from other people and thinking for herself.[3]
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Hiro's "punishment" after being hugged by Tohru.
Hiro dislikes Tohru, the very first time they meet, mainly because she is all Kisa talks about. When Hiro takes Tohru's notebook (that has a picture of her mother in it) and Tohru follows him in an attempt to get it back, Kisa appears with Momiji and asks him to give it back. He throws it at her in a response, and Kisa tells him that she "doesn't understand why you're acting this way, but it makes me sad". Hiro replies by saying, "Onee-chan, Onee-chan. That's all I hear. All you talk about is that stupid girl!" It becomes apparent that Hiro was just jealous of how close Tohru was to Kisa.[3]
After some time, Hiro grows to like Tohru, but he tries not to show it.
When Momiji invites them to go to the summer home with them (with the invitations written on bunny stationery), Hiro complains about Momiji being so childish when Kisa told him that she wanted to go, so he accepted the invitation immediately and set off to the summer house.
Kisa and Hiro fought when Hiro rudely commented on Tohru being 'obsessed' with her mother. "She's all you ever talk about." Hiro instantly regretted it when he saw the look on Kisa's face and her saying: "Hiro, why are you always so mean to Onee-chan?" A few nights later, Hiro decides to go and apologize to Kisa, but when he opens Kisa's bedroom door, the door smashes right into Kisa's face! Kisa tells Hiro she was going to apologize to him for their fight, and then they realize they were both wrong. They both make up.
During Sorta Cinderella, Hiro accompanies Kisa to the school. He expresses doubt at the success of the play, and was shown to be easily angered, as seen when three boys had their eyes on Kisa. He is also scared by Saki Hanajima's brother, who approaches him from behind unnoticed. When Sorta Cinderella is over, he says "Crud. What was that supposed to be?" Later, Hiro accidentally mentions Rin, and chastises himself for doing so, because he wasn't supposed to know about Rin dating Hatsuharu. However, Hatsuharu jokingly replies by asking him if he has got a crush on Rin, which Hiro embarrassingly denies.[4]
Hiro is later seen visiting his mother in the hospital after just having given birth to his younger sister Hinata. She asks Hiro if he wants to hold his younger sister, but Hiro declines, explaining that he will transform then. Hiro's mother assures that even if he does, she will hug both of them close, putting a smile on Hiro's face.[5]
A few days later, Hiro and Kisa are spending time together, while he is being a little philosophical for recently becoming an older brother. The two eventually bumps into Haru, and he can’t help but bring up Rin again. When Haru questions Hiro about Rin a little, he eventually confesses that he had witnessed Rin being pushed off a second-story balcony by Akito, which was the reason she had been in the hospital for so long. Hiro also confesses that it was his fault for Akito injuring Kisa a while back. He then asks Haru to help Rin, as she is trying to break the curse so she can free Haru from the curse. He also reveals that she had broken up with Haru for this very reason. Haru is enraged by what he has heard and immediately goes after Akito. After he leaves, Hiro breaks down sobbing, though Kisa comforts him by saying it wasn't his fault.[6]
Third Year Arc
Hiro's family sharing a hug after his curse is broken.
When Akito was about to stab her mother, she stopped when she noticed that Hiro's curse had been broken. Hiro noticed this as well, and picked up his sister and hugged her. Hiro's mother came into the room to see Hiro no longer changing into a sheep, and was overjoyed. However, Hiro interrupted her, saying that it was more bittersweet. While his mother came to comfort him, Hiro broke down in tears.[7]
Hiro and Kisa go out and are near the hospital when they see Kyo vomiting. While Hiro does not like the sight of Kyo's vomit, he insists on helping him out cleaning it up. Kyo declines his help, but Hiro does not budge.[8]
For the first time after his curse breaks, Hiro visits Akito. Hiro has braced himself for whatever Akito is about to tell him. But as opposed to what Hiro thought, Akito tells: "Hiro, as always, you’re naive and stupid. Even though you’re not particularly strong or smart, you stubbornly cling to your desires…to be honest, that side of you has always been something I admire." This surprised Hiro greatly.[9]
Hiro comforts Kisa.
Once all the Zodiacs' curse breaks, Hiro is invited to the final banquet of all by Akito. Hiro and Kisa accompany each other, and when Akito reveals herself to be a woman, Hiro is seen to be the most shocked out of everyone. Akito tries to apologize for everything she has done, but without success. However, she explains that she would now move forward, continue living as a Sohma and the head of the family, and that she would be giving all the Zodiacs their freedom to do whatever they want.[10]
Epilogue
Towards the end of the series, Hiro and Kisa are seen spending time with each other, happily arm in arm. They think about Tohru moving with Kyo to the countryside, and when Kisa goes into an overdrive of emotion, Hiro comforts her, telling her there is no point holding back her emotions and tears. As Kisa cries, Hiro remembers all the memories he had with Tohru, right from the start when they met for the first time.[11]
Fruits Basket Another
He was mentioned by Mutsuki Sohma, as he mentions that Hiro told him that Hinata might go to the Sohma summer place. [12]
The Sheep of the Zodiac
Hiro is cursed by the spirit of the Sheep (or Ram) of the Zodiac. Whenever he is hugged by the opposite sex, or if his body goes through a great deal of stress, Hiro transforms into his Chinese Zodiac form. Like all the Cursed Sohmas, their respective animals are drawn to them; and in Hiro's case, sheep. The Sheep is the eighth of all Zodiac animals.
As he isn't an adult or teenager yet, when he transforms, he is shown as a lamb. It is possible that his brown hair- and eye color comes from being cursed by the Sheep spirit.
In Chinese culture, Sheep are loving and selfless, always thinking for others, even if it works against their own interest, which applies to Hiro rather well, though this only applies when it resolves around people Hiro cherishes; such as Kisa, Rin, his parents, and younger sister.
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When Hiro's curse broke, he was subconsciously aware of it, and immediately hugged his younger sister to confirm it. When he didn't transform, he broke down in tears and was left with a bittersweet feeling. Hiro's curse broke earlier than everyone else, and the overall third to break (after Momiji and Kureno).[7]
Trivia
- Hiro's name is derived from the seventh month, fumihirogetsuki or "month of publication", which is the month of the Goat of the traditional Japanese calendar.
- Hiro's name means "Light on the Path", while his younger sister's Hinata's name means "Towards the Sun" in Japanese. Their mother thought about it for a long time, because she wanted "sunny" names for both of her children.[5]
- Other than Akito Sohma, the person Hiro can't stand the most is Ayame Sohma.
- He is the youngest member of the Zodiac; confirmed when it was stated that when Kisa started middle school, he doesn't start until the next year, therefore he is a year younger than her.
- Hiro is possibly the only Zodiac member who grew up with normal, loving parents who were neither rejective or overprotective.
- Aaron Dismuke, who was a child at the time, voiced Hiro which is very uncommon in the voice acting industry.
References
- ↑ Fruits Basket Official Site
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Fruits Basket Character Book
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Fruits Basket (2019 Anime): Episode 20: I Can't Believe You Picked It Up
- ↑ Fruits Basket Manga: Vol 15, Chapter 88
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Fruits Basket Manga: Vol 18, Chapter 103
- ↑ Fruits Basket Manga: Vol 18, Chapter 104
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Fruits Basket Manga: Vol 20, Chapter 118
- ↑ Fruits Basket Manga: Vol 22, Chapter 126
- ↑ Fruits Basket Manga: Vol 22, Chapter 128
- ↑ Fruits Basket Manga: Vol 23, Chapter 132
- ↑ Fruits Basket Manga: Vol 23, Chapter 136
- ↑ Fruits Basket Another: Vol 2, Chapter 8