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| Ren Sohma | |
|---|---|
| Kanji | 草摩 楝 |
| Rōmaji | Sōma Ren |
| Description | |
| Gender | Female |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Grey |
| Professional Status | |
| Occupation | Maid (formerly) |
| Affiliation | Sohma Family |
| Relatives | |
| Spouse | Akira Sohma (Husband) † |
| Children | Akito Sohma (Estranged Daughter) |
| Extended Family | Shigure Sohma (Son-in-law) Shiki Sohma (Estranged Grandson) |
| Debut | |
| Manga | Chapter 75 (Cameo) Chapter 98 (Debut) |
| Anime | Season 2, Episode 16 (Cameo) Season 3, Episode 1 (Debut) |
| Voice Actors | |
| Japanese | Ai Orikasa |
| English | Katelyn Barr |
Ren Sohma (草摩 楝, Sōma Ren, "Ren Soma") is a supporting character of the Fruits Basket series. She is introduced as the widowed wife of the former Sohma head, Akira Sohma, and the estranged mother of Akito Sohma.
A mysterious, yet complex individual, Ren serves as an overreaching antagonist in both the manga and anime series.
Appearance[]
Ren is a strikingly beautiful young woman whose age can be assumed around her early to mid 40's. She is portrayed with calf length, raven black locks, a porcelain complexion, a tall yet busty figure, and sharp grey colored eyes with a purplish tint to them.
Given her high ranking status within the Sohma family, Ren's main choice of outfits would typically consist of elegant and long form fitting dresses. The outfit she's mainly seen in for the anime's third season consist of a long-sleeved black dress with a deep V-neck line and is usually accompanied with a crimson shawl. In addition, her toes and nails are painted of said color.
According to Shigure Sohma, had Akito been raised properly as a woman rather than as a man, she would've looked like the spitting image of her own mother.
Personality[]
Ren's substantial demeanor in the story is arguably the most complex and deeply flawed. On one hand, especially in the face of company, she's easily able to fool those with her elegant and poised demeanor, which would usually leave those to never second guess what her actual personality is like. But never allow that graceful disposition to fool you. Because the reality of her true nature is that she's a haughty, cruel, malicious, domineering, manipulative, spiteful, and severely unstable woman.
While her personality is arguably the most disdainful one there is, Ren is also considered to be quite crafty and cunning in the way she operates her schemes, and she is not above using her own methods to have those do what she wants. Even if it meant getting those deliberately involved would be facing the wrath of Akito as a consequence, something that she has little to no remorse for. Two examples of this are when she took advantage of Shigure's love for Akito by making him sleep with her, in order for him to get back at the latter for sleeping with Kureno, and when she tricked Isuzu into retrieving a box that belonged in Akito's possession. Yet the result in Isuzu's case has led her to be locked up in The Cat's Room and have her hair cut off by an irate Akito.
The driving catalyst to her significantly dreadful personality is the unhealthy obsession she bears for her deceased husband, followed by the deep-seated jealousy and contempt that she has toward her own daughter, and this fact is very much evident before conceiving her. Upon finding out that Ren would have a daughter for an heir rather than a son, at the point when her husband would pass away, this led her to become incredibly irate to where she demanded that her first born child is to be raised as a man, and if her demands were not met, she'd abort the child. Much to the dismay of Akira.
Overall, it is safe to say that Ren's personality plays a significant plot to the story, as she's the one who molded Akito into the way she is and how it is her vile hostility that's driven her to becoming the woman she is now.
Fruits Basket Another[]
Since Akito became more responsible and dignified in her role as the family head, and that she's now free from both the curse and having to live as a "man", despite being ostracized by those who don't believe she's changed for the better, Ren continues to live in isolation among the other Sohma's.
History[]
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Ren and Akira first meet
Since Ren's background is left deliberately vague, there isn't much known about her. However, what is known about her was the fact she had previously worked as a maid within the Sohma family.
When word about Akira Sohma, who was the current head of the family, was declining in health, and that he needed to bear a child, in order to gain a successor when his time comes, had circulated around the estate, which led those to become increasingly worried about him, this was the moment where Ren appears and instantly fell in love with him.
As Ren was the first to express how lonely Akira must have felt, albeit through fake tears, and that she tells him how she's the only one who's ever understood said loneliness, this revelation had led Akira to see that Ren was "different" from the rest, seeing that she treated him more like a person rather than someone with just a reputable title such as: "Family Head". Yet, as a result of Ren's genuine concern and kindness towards him, she was appointed as Akira's personal maid.
The more that Akira and Ren would continue to spend quality time together, to which the nature of their relationship would gradually blossom to love over time, word about the two being in love began floating around to where the eldest Sohma Maid was the first to vehemently reject the thought of someone like Ren, a mere maid whose job is to only serve for the family, would be someone that a respectable figure, such as Akira, might potentially choose for a wife. However, as soon as Akira told the eldest maid that Ren was the only person who ever understood him, the latter becomes faltered whereas Ren smiles delightedly at her soon to be husband.[1] It is said that sometime after, despite the eldest maid being against the thought of Akira and Ren becoming husband and wife, they were eventually married and were also expecting their first child.
At the point when the eldest Sohma members (Shigure, Hatori, Ayame, and Kureno - all four of which were children during this time) heard that their "God" would be reborn, via through their dreams, they immediately ran straight to Ren and had tears in their eyes. While Ren didn't seem to fully understand the reason as to why the four children were crying around her for nothing, enough to where it very much repulsed her, yet little did she know that she was about to birth the most important member of the Zodiac. Not only was she repulsed by the children swarming around her and crying, but she was also even more disturbed upon finding out the gender of her first-born child.[2]
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Ren shouting at a young Akito upon finding out Akira's passing
With the gender of Ren's first child revealed, much to her absolute horror, only because she was expecting for a son to become the next heir, she was immediately driven to absolute madness to where she had threatened Akira about aborting the child if her demands of raising her child to be a man were not met. And because Akira didn't want that to happen, he agrees to have his child be raised the way she wants.
By the time when Akito had been conceived, in which both Akira and the maids immediately took care of her, Ren was quick to become furious by the result of giving birth to not only a girl, but the most important member of the zodiac. While she remotely expected to be treated equally lavish like her own child, that didn't seem to work in her favor, unfortunately. And this was only the beginning of her disliking towards Akito.
At some unspecified point, Akira passes away in his deathbed, and when a distraught Ren became hysterical upon losing the one man she loved most, the fact that Akito had been at his side instead of her had worsened her apparent hatred towards her own daughter, and as such, their antagonism towards each other was only the start.[3]
Pre-Fruits Basket[]
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Ren telling a child Isuzu how she has a "happy home" and a family who "loves" her very much
Since Ren isn't officially introduced until very much later, she is, however, seen through a minor flashback in which she's seen interacting with a pre-teen Isuzu "Rin" Sohma. During this brief little flashback, Ren is obviously seen talking with Isuzu and stating how she has both a happily home and family. Even though she's more so already aware of the fact that both her parents are miserable with her.
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Ren and Akito forming a bet
Following the events after Akira's passing, in which Akito and Ren remain openly hostile with one another, even making a bet to see who'd remain by Akito's side until death, due to the history of the zodiac curse, despite Ren's protest and utter disbelief to such a claim, that's when the wage of whoever loses the bet are either expected to get down on their knees and grovel or be exiled from the Sohma estate at the point of no return.
Story Overview[]
Second Year Arc[]
Following the progression of the series, it has been said that Ren remains in the Sohma estate but is confined to her room, in order to avoid any and every conflict with Akito possible. Knowing how much they hate each other and because things could potentially get worse if the two were seen within the same vicinity as one another.
Although Ren is confined for the most part, she does make a brief cameo during this arc when Tohru had managed to sneak her way into the Sohma estate, in order to proceed with her search for Kureno. Although her mission in finding him throughout the manor nearly became fruitless, she was on the verge of giving up with her mission despite bouncing back and attempting to try again. The minute when Tohru had overheard someone's voice asking "who's there" while she was hiding in the bushes, and that the person speaking had turned out to be none other than Ren, herself, Tohru easily mistakes her voice for Akito's.
Before Tohru was close to being discovered by Ren, Kureno arrives in the nick of time to keep her covered and was able to notify Ren how he was just passing through the area. As soon as when Ren asked Kureno if he'd like to come and join her for a cup of tea, he politely declines her offer and immediately notifies her about how he'd have to go back to Akito's side, knowing she'd become worried with his absence. Since then, she was no longer seen afterwards.[4]
Third Year Arc[]
Although Ren remains confined in her room, she does make her official appearance when Akito steps in to prevent Hatori from being within a foot near her. As soon as when Hatori interjects by telling Akito that her mother wanted to say "hello" and nothing more, Ren is seen exiting a room she stayed in and began to throw some snide remarks toward Akito about how all members of the zodiac have begun to lose all love and affection for their God.
While Akito remained steadfast in her claim about the zodiac members staying by her side until the end, due to the promise and eternal bond they made, as stated in the story, and in relations to what her late father had said before his passing, about how she's born as a special child who's born to be loved, Ren appears to be indifferent to the statement and attested to the fact that Akito's "bond" is nothing short of fake and a mere fairytale. From the moment when Ren gave Akito the final push that drove her to be irate, out of retaliation, she furiously grabs Ren by her neck and strangles her.
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Ren's official appearance
Although it took both Hatori and the maids to step in and separate the pair from their violent altercation, even though Ren continued to make things worse with her taunting, followed by stating how Akito's "bond" with the zodiacs are not real love - while her and Akira's love is real, before a sneering Ren was escorted by her maids, in order to be confined to her bedroom, she decided to give her final say about how [she] doesn't need Akito and mockingly laughs at a disgruntled but teary eyed Akito. Thinking that someone like her [Akito] could never win.
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Ren requesting a "favor" from Isuzu
After the altercation had taken place, Ren is seen once again, only this time, sneaking out from her room to where she encounters Isuzu sneaking around the Sohma estate in the dead of night. The latter's reason being that she was on the search for Kureno, as she intended to give him an earful for making Tohru cry when seeing them at the park.
Because Ren saw that Isuzu was desperately searching for something important, she decided to take matters into her own hands by pulling some strings in having to ask the latter for a certain favor. As a bewildered Isuzu came to wonder what Ren's favor could be, the latter's request was for Isuzu to obtain a particular box under Akito's possession. In exchange for some information in how to break the curse. From the moment when Isuzu questioned Ren if what she says is true, Ren confirms with a "yes" and tells her it is true. Even though the reality of it all is that she does not know.
Since Ren knew absolutely nothing about how to break the zodiac curse, or so she discussed with her fellow maid, she knew her ploy into making Isuzu do her dirty work meant that she'd be facing Akito's wrath in the process, and when the plan itself [actually] fails, due to Isuzu getting caught red-handed by Akito, herself, her punishment by Akito was getting her hair forcibly cut at an uneven length and being locked up inside of The Cat's Room for several days.
With Isuzu confined, and that no one has seen or heard from her for weeks on end, Ren calls out to Shigure when seeing him walking around the corridors by himself and talks with him for a bit. As she recalled her memories of the time she's spent with Akira before his death, in which she tries convincing Shigure to sleep with her again by attempting to seduce him, that's when he instantly refuses.
Given the fact how Shigure stood firm in his decision to not sleep with Ren as of this time, which leaves him to state his reason behind for choosing to do so, other than merely getting back at Akito for sleeping with Kureno, even though it was Ren who informed him of their relationship from the beginning, his reason for sleeping with Ren at the cost of getting kicked out of the estate - was because of Ren's physical attributes and how they are remarkably to Akito, herself. Because Ren didn't take the answer too well to where she was increasingly furious and offended by said statement, Shigure did briefly mention how if Ren allowed Akito to live as a woman, things would've turned out different and in turn he also tells Ren how her deep-rooted obsession with her deceased husband will more than likely continue to haunt her to her grave. Afterwards, despite Ren being thrown into a state of despair and calling out her husband's name after slandering Shigure for his apparent "ungratefulness", he wasn't seen anymore moving forward.
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Akito refraining herself from stabbing Ren after sensing Hiro's curse break
Sometime after the conversation with Shigure, Ren is seen barging straight into Akito's bedroom with a knife in her possession. As the maids and Kureno were left horrified to witness how much worse the former's mental state has become, that's when a knife brandishing Ren demands Akito to hand over the box she's held onto her whole childhood since whatever had previously belonged to Akira, belongs to her.
Because Akito had always knew the box in her possession was empty, even before she tossed it to a desperate Ren, who had been longing for the box to this day, and that she became mute upon finding out that there was nothing in the box, thinking there would be something both special and beneficial to keep Akira's spirit alive, Akito eventually lost all composure to where she attempted to use the same knife on her mother but eventually came to a halt when sensing Hiro Sohma's curse break.
As Ren smiled gleefully when seeing that Akito didn't attempt to kill her in the way she wanted, it is implied that Ren was taken back to her room and kept under surveillance, so that she is to not be within the same proximity as the latter. And towards the end of the series, when all zodiac members are free from the curse, and that Akito is now free to live as the woman she should've been, now that she no longer holds the title of God in the zodiacs, what could be speculated about Ren on her end is that she does not want to have any reconciliation with her daughter, meaning she has no intention to rekindle her relationship with Akito at all.[5]
Fruits Basket Another[]
Following the events after the original series, Ren continues to be confined in her bedroom, so that none of the other Sohmas interact with her. Though, the only person she makes an exception to is her grandson, who is said to become the next family head when his mother relinquishes this role. Though, not explicitly stated, it has been said her mental health has gotten much worse than when it did, especially during those times when she'd act openly hostile towards her estranged daughter.
During a New Year's Celebration with the family, Ren finds herself at a breaking point to where she snapped and attempted to stab her grandson with a knife, all while wearing a sneer on her face. Before Ren could attempt to make her attack on Shiki, Akito takes notice of the situation and immediately steps in, in order to take the blow in his stead. As a result for this horribly shocking event, Akito is scarred on her face.
Since the incident, Ren is seen yet once again when encountering a middle school aged Hajime Sohma. At the point when she mentions the zodiac curse to him, in which the latter tells her that his parents hadn't mentioned anything about the curse, especially given the fact that Hajime had never brought himself to ask, his response alone led her to smile derisively and instantly remark how foolish the young boy is for not being told of the zodiac curse. After that, she is no longer seen.
But what is further speculated is that she's now put under surveillance for attempting to murder a child.
Relationships[]
Shigure, Kureno, Hatori & Ayame Sohma[]
Ren and Shigure, along with Hatori, Ayame, and Kureno, are very close. Shigure has slept with Ren once, but only as a way to get back at Akito for sleeping with Kureno. Not only did this made Akito very angry at him, to the point of lashing out at him during a meeting between the Sohma and Mitsuru and kicking him out of the main estate as a result, Shigure briefly mentions how he only slept with Ren because she looks exactly like Akito, and how she would've looked like, had she been raised normally as a woman.
Akito Sohma[]
Ren and Akito's relationship as mother and daughter is extremely complicated, as they share a bitter and deep-rooted hatred towards each other, especially since Akira's passing. Because Ren was deeply afraid of being replaced, thinking that Akira would love Akito more than her, it's become evident that her intense jealousy and paranoia forced Akito to look and behave like a man throughout her childhood.
Not only have she been profoundly scornful towards Akito and that she'd constantly remind her of how she'd be left all alone and that no one would ever love her, especially the Zodiac members, this resulted in Akito's mental state of mind to become morbidly twisted. To the extent where she became the person she was and forcing the Zodiac members to stay with her by any means necessary.
Akito and Ren's intense hatred towards each other had eventually escalated to physical violence when Akito strangled her mother, whereas Ren ends up scarring the former's face with a knife upon trying to attack Shiki. Despite the irreconcilable differences, it's worth mentioning that their relationship has not improved whatsoever.
Akira Sohma[]
Akira was Ren's first and only love. She first met him when she was working as a maid in the Sohma estate. When she met the Sohma Head face to face, and that she expressed how she can see the loneliness in his eyes, and that she cries for him, it was then decreed that she became Akira's personal maid. Not only would she tend to his daily needs and remain by his side, no matter what, their relationship gradually evolves from there.
Soon after Akira and Ren got married, despite the eldest maid's disapproval. At the extent of their marriage, they eventually bore a child together, a girl named Akito. While Akira loved Ren more than anything in the world, Ren became plagued with the idea that Akira seemed to love Akito even more than her, though in reality he loved the both of them with all his heart and viewed Akito as the proof of their love and how she's a special child.
Not only did this made Ren increasingly jealous of Akito, to the point where she grew resentful and hated Akito, Akira did what he could to smooth things out, but to no avail. Even before finding out the baby's gender, she's threatened to abort the child, in order to meet her needs and get what she wants.
Sometime after, Akira eventually died by a child Akito's side, but not long before stating his regret about how he and Ren weren't able to reconcile and how Akito was born to be special and loved by the members of the Zodiac. Because Ren couldn't be there when he died, seeing that no one called for her and that she had also made it too late, she eventually became depressed and began to hate Akito even more.
Not only did she hate the fact that the only person she loved so much had passed away, but now the one person who's about to become head of the family was the daughter she never wanted or loved.
Isuzu Sohma[]
As stated by Ren, herself, Isuzu is someone who she holds an apparent dislike towards because she She thats how akito would Have a look like if she Was raised as a girl, but at the point when Ren told a pre-teen Isuzu that she has both a loving family and home she can go to, she already knew since the beginning that both her parents were tired of her, and that they were simply putting up a front before they proceeded to abuse her. Sometime after encountering Isuzu during her quest to find Kureno and give him an earful from seeing the way he made Tohru cry, Ren decided to create a ploy by asking her to grab a box under Akito's possession - in exchange for some information that'll help break the curse faster.
As Isuzu immediately became hopeful with doing what Ren asked, the plan fails ultimately when the former is caught red-handed by Akito, and as a result of this, she faces her punishment. Despite how Ren knew nothing of the curse or how it can be broken, she's stated how Isuzu is one incompetent girl and that she couldn't believe how fickle she is. And despite how she failed to do the one thing she asked, she had little to no concern about her when she was locked up.
Etymology[]
- The name Ren means 楝 (ren) meaning "Japanese bead tree”.
- This tree is very much regarded for the fruit it produces from its branches, which is beautiful in appearance, but also poisonous. That said, this example further demonstrates that, although Ren is exceptionally beautiful, her personality is quite hazardous.
Trivia[]
- According to an author's note, Natsuki Takaya designed Akito and Ren to greatly resemble each other.
- It has been said that both her background and age were deliberately left vague by the author.
- She was previously credited as "Mysterious Woman" in the closing credits of Season 2, Episode 16.
- After the events of attempting to harm a child, Ren has been put under heavy surveillance, deeming to be far too dangerous to be near people. Let alone, her own grandson.
References[]
- ↑ Fruits Basket Manga: Vol 20, Chapter 115
- ↑ Fruits Basket Manga: Vol 17, Chapter 98
- ↑ Fruits Basket Manga: Vol 20, Chapter 115
- ↑ Fruits Basket Manga: Vol 13, Chapter 75
- ↑ Fruits Basket Manga: Vol 23, Chapter 133