Kureno Soma

Kureno Sohma (草摩 紅野 Sōma Kureno) is a fictional character in the manga series Fruits Basket. He is possessed by the rooster of the Chinese Zodiac. Whenever a Sohma is hugged by the opposite gender or his or her body comes under a great deal of stress, they transform into one of the twelve zodiac animals. Kureno is a quiet, obedient man. He only appears in the Fruits Basket manga.

Kureno's name is derived from the third month of the Japanese lunar calendar, Kurenoharu, or "Late Spring"

Role in the story

Relationship with Akito

Akito Sohma keeps Kureno close and isolated from others, even from the other cursed members of the Sohma clan, dominating nearly every aspect of his life. Kureno is rarely permitted to leave the house. Of the Sohma clan, Kureno knows the least about the outside world.

Kureno is the first to be freed from the curse; he was around 16 at the time this occurred (approximately 10 years before Fruits Basket takes place). As such, Kureno transforms in chapter 118, after he is stabbed by Akito in the back. That is the only time he transforms, although his curse was supposedly broken. The teenaged Akito broke down in tears and begged him to stay by her side, fearing that no one else would truly be with her; Kureno, seeing Akito as a crying young girl, kissed her and agreed. Thus he stays with her despite her possessiveness and fear of losing him; "it's all for the sake of this frail, poor girl", he tells Tohru.

Kureno was the one who revealed to Tohru that Akito was a woman. He also revealed that the person she thought was Akito the day she had visited him at the main house was, in fact, Akito's mother, Ren Sohma.

Kureno was also stabbed in the back by Akito. It was hinted that he died or was severely injured when Arisa discovered a fallen bird (possibly a sparrow) outside one of her part time jobs. After Akito confronts Tohru at Shigure's house, she confesses to Shigure that she stabbed Kureno; Shigure, hoping to clear things up, calls the main house to discover that Kureno is recovering at the hospital.

According to an interview with Natsuki Takaya, though Kureno was possessed by the spirit of the Rooster, he, in fact, transformed into a sparrow. This was officially revealed in the Fruits Basket fanbook entitled "Neko". Takaya stated herself when asked a question what bird Kureno would have transformed into before he was freed from the curse that she originally thought of him transforming into a rooster, but decided that his transform would rather be that of a sparrow, believing it fitted his character more.

Relationship with Arisa

His first visit to a convenience store was at the age of 26. Since he didn't know how to find a basket, he consequently dropped all of his items on the floor as he was bowing (as a form of greeting), sending Arisa Uotani, who worked at that store, into laughter, because she thought it was something Tohru Honda would do (In fact, that was what Tohru had actually done when they first met in middle school). Later, they met again, and he bought her lunch, resulting in a meal in which they talked more than they ate. During their meal, Arisa takes offense when Kureno doesn't smile happily, and walks out. Kureno follows her, calling her by name, and says he's sorry. Then Kureno stroked Arisa's hair as he gazed into her eyes and, to her, it felt like it was his own way of saying "I love you" (Chapter 50). Arisa's crush on Kureno continued to develop, constantly thinking of and talking about him, but she did not know he was a Sohma. She believes that his sudden departure after lunch was because of their nine-year age difference, but in reality, Kureno feels it is for the better if he does not love her back due to the will of Akito, who does not wish for Kureno to associate himself with outsiders, possibly thinking that Arisa would get hurt if Kureno were to admit his love to her.

However, Tohru knows that Kureno belongs to the Sohma clan, and she secretly talked to him, telling him that Arisa wished to see him again. Kureno feels the same way, but he remains wholly loyal to Akito.

In Chapter 127, the indication of boxes seems likely that Kureno will be moving out of the "main house". Also, Kureno and Arisa see each other again in the hospital where Tohru is staying. Kureno doesn't know what to do now that Akito doesn't need him anymore. Arisa, in response, says that she was and still is waiting for him and needs him. At the end of the chapter, it seems that he has left the hospital (and the main house) and gone to be near Arisa.

He and Arisa end up together in the final chapter, and are shown talking to each other on the phone.