Kisa Soma
| Kisa Sohma | |
|---|---|
| Fruits Basket character | |
| Created by | Natsuki Takaya |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation | Junior high student |
Kisa Sohma (草摩 杞紗, Sōma Kisa) is a character in the manga and anime series entitled Fruits Basket, transforming into the tiger of the Chinese Zodiac whenever she is hugged by the opposite sex or her body comes under a great deal of stress.
Kisa's name is derived from the second month of the Japanese lunar calendar, Kisaragi, or "changing clothes month".
Kisa is the second youngest Sohma under the curse, losing to Hiro Sohma by one year. Of all the cursed Sohmas, Kisa is probably the most gentle and least confrontational.
Role in the story
Background
Kisa is extremely shy and introverted. This is due in great part to the teasing she received at her school. Like many of the cursed Sohmas, Kisa has some unique physical features, noticeably her yellow-orange hair and golden eyes. At the beginning of the teasing, Kisa remained strong and ignored the mockery. In the story, Momiji Sohma reveals that when the first insults failed, Kisa's classmates began to ignore her. Eventually, they would stop ignoring her just long enough to laugh at anything she said. As a result, Kisa withdrew into herself and locked away her words, refusing to speak. Tohru Honda was able to understand Kisa's problem and heal her emotionally. Kisa calls Tohru "onee-chan", or big sister, as Tohru is a sister figure to her. Tohru and Kisa hug with hearts being the primary background effects in both anime and manga whenever they meet.
Kisa's favourite food is nira-tama and she seems to enjoy sweets in general (including crepes). Kisa has an interest in an anime called Mogeta, a rather odd anime that Hiro, Kisa, and Momiji watch together. Throughout the series, she seeks advice and guidance from Hiro (though she often misunderstands him).
Relationships
One of three girls afflicted by the Sohma family curse (the others being Kagura Sohma and Isuzu Sohma, her older cousins), Kisa is able to hug or be hugged by the opposite gender if they are also under the curse. Before Tohru came to be involved with the members of the Sohma family, there were two main people in Kisa's life.
Kisa is most often seen with Hiro Sohma, representing the sheep of the zodiac. Hiro loved Kisa, but made the mistake of telling Akito Sohma. Akito was so upset that he ended up beating Kisa, inflicting wounds that took almost two full weeks to heal. As a result, Hiro, not wanting anymore to be the cause of her pain, distanced himself from Kisa just as Kisa's school torment initiated. After Tohru won over Kisa's heart and loyalties, Hiro became extremely jealous. Kisa, loving them both (to Hiro's chagrin, only as very close family members and friends), was confused by his behavior but still believed in him.
Though it is not overly pronounced in either the series or manga, Kisa is also close to Hatsuharu Sohma (Haru). They have a very close brother-sister relationship. When Kisa finally ran away from home, it was Haru, along with her mother, who searched for her. Yuki Sohma also feels a connection with Kisa, as Yuki, like Kisa, went through a stage when he refused to speak as a result of Akito's actions.
She is also close to Momiji, whom she calls 'Oniichan' (big brother) in the manga. She also uses this term when speaking to Kyo (see volume 20).
Kisa's mother, unlike some other zodiac mothers, loves Kisa. Unfortunately, her mother is over-protective, and Kisa's problems cause psychological strain on her mother. Because of this, Kisa spends a bit of time away from her mother, to give her mother a 'rest'.
Breakthrough
Kisa was having trouble at school when she finally met Tohru at Shigure Sohma's house, where Haru brought Kisa when he found her away from home. On edge, the minute Tohru tried to pet her in tiger form, Kisa bit her. But after Tohru revealed not only the problem to Kisa's mother in Kisa's presence, but also that she understood what Kisa was feeling, as Tohru was also teased when she was younger, Kisa attached herself to Tohru's side, calling her "onee-chan", literally meaning "big sister" ("sissy" in the English dub). After the few days that Kisa stayed with Tohru at Shigure's house, she realized that people did love her for who she was, and she was able to start speaking again. She realized that she had to be strong and face her problems instead of evading them.
Trivia
- Her name is meant to be a pun about the Chinese Zodiac. Kisaragi means second month of the lunar calendar, or second month of the new year. Although the tiger's lunar month is the first, February, in western and most eastern societies, February is the second.
- Another fact about her name's translation refers to her strange hair color. Shikisai in Japanese means color, or hue.
- In the English dub, Kisa calls Torhu "sissy," while in the Japanese dub, she calls her "onee-chan" (older sister)