Momiji Soma

Momiji Sohma
Fruits Basket character
Created by	Natsuki Takaya
In-universe information
Nickname	Momitchi (stated in the manga)
Gender	Male
Occupation	High School student

Momiji Sohma (草摩 紅葉, Sōma Momiji) is a fictional character in the manga and anime series Fruits Basket. When hugged by a member of the opposite gender or when he comes under a great deal of stress (emotional or physical), he transforms into the rabbit of the Chinese Zodiac.

Natsuki Takaya derived Momiji's name from the ninth month of the fomer Japanese lunar calendar, Momijitsuki or "autumn leaves month." He was supposed to have been named after the third month, the month of the rabbit, but according to Takaya, she mixed up Momiji and Kureno's (the rooster) positions in the order of the zodiac.

Synopsis

Momiji is a Eurasian. More specifically, he is of both German and Japanese descent, with his father being Japanese and his mother German. In the manga, he frequently switches between the two languages, much to the bafflement of Tohru.

Momiji is introduced in volume two. Tohru works in a building owned by Momiji's father and runs into Momiji. She mistakes him for a foreigner because of his appearance and because he talks in German. He kisses her on the cheek, to her surprise (which does not happen in the anime). At a school fair not long after their first meeting, he is introduced along with Hatori Sohma. He instantly befriends Tohru Honda, glad that she, a person outside the Sohma clan, knows of their family secret. Momiji is an androgynous-looking teenager (Tohru believed him to be in grade school until it is revealed he is the same age as Hatsuharu) who is gentle, playful, and can always offer a kind word. He is also extremely perceptive and is rather tactful. He enjoys eating junk food (especially pastries and sweets) and is rarely seen without a lollipop or some other treat.

Kyo Sohma often picks on Momiji, whacking him on the head while Momiji cries, "Kyo is hurting me again!" (in the anime "Kyo's hitting me!") In volume 4 chapter 19 he wore the girl's uniform on his first day of high school, which caused quite the commotion until Hatsuharu defended him and his crossdressing was grudgingly accepted. When asked, Momiji explained he liked the girl's uniform, with short shorts, because he looked better in it. Later he finally wears the boy's uniform with girls exclaiming how cute he is, but ruined the moment by asking Tohru to buy an ice cream so they can share it.

Role in the story

Background

Momiji was born into the richer families of the Sohma clan. His father, who is Japanese, owns a number of companies, one of which Momiji's best friend, Tohru Honda, works at as a janitor.

Although Momiji almost always appears to be care-free, he lives with a mournful past, much like Tohru's. When his mother first held him, immediately after his birth, he transformed, and his mother first learned of zodiac curse; from then on she rejected him and eventually had a breakdown because of it. She later requested to have her memories erased by Hatori Sohma so she could recover. When asked if she would regret the procedure, she responded by saying that the greatest regret she had was that "that creature", referring to Momiji, had come out of her body. Momiji, standing hidden just outside the room, overheard this and was, needless to say, extremely saddened. Tohru asks Momiji if he ever wanted to forget about his mother, and what has emotionally scarred him in life. He replies that even though that has made him very sad, he would never want to forget about it.

Momiji attends Kaibara high school with Tohru, Yuki Sohma, and Kyo Sohma, in the year below them, along with Hatsuharu Sohma. In his first year of high school, Momiji wore a girl's uniform (with short shorts), because he liked the way it looked on him.

In chapter 115 of the manga, Momiji is freed from the curse. Around this time, we see that he has grown up both emotionally and physically. The girls at school describe him as charming and "princely" when he finally decides to wear a boy's uniform.

Momiji's sister, Momo

File:Momofb.jpg

Momo

Momiji's mother, after having her memories of Momiji erased, and father later had a daughter, Momo, who realizes that her mother and Momiji look similar. Momiji's mother denies this, perhaps still subconsciously rejecting her son. Momiji's father, who promised to love his son enough for both himself and his mother, tries to keep Momiji away from the rest of the family in fear of losing his newfound happiness. While deeply saddened, Momiji understands and tries not to come face to face with his mother and Momo deliberately.

When Momo saw Momiji playing the violin and decided she wanted to take it up, Momiji's father asked Momiji, who took violin lessons at the time, to quit since they'd have the same teacher. Unfortunately, the reason Momo wanted to take up violin in the first place was because she wanted to play together with Momiji.

When Tohru came to the main house to talk to Kureno Sohma, Momo asked her to ask Momiji if he would be her older brother. When Tohru told him this, Momiji cried with happiness. Since Momiji is like a little kid, he tends to hang out with Kisa and Hiro if they were around.

Relationship with Tohru

When Momiji first met Tohru, he was so happy about knowing a girl that knows about the Sohma family's secret that he willingly jumped on her and hugged her, transforming himself into his rabbit form. From then on, he develops more and more of a crush on Tohru and even wanted to bathe with her in a hot spring. He later then treats Tohru like an older sister, especially since Kyo confessed his own love for Tohru. Momiji is one of the few Zodiac who stood up to Akito for Tohru. When Akito asks Momiji to bring Tohru outside during the summer vacation, he refuses, certain that Akito wants to threaten or hurt Tohru. Akito hits Momiji and only stops when Tohru appears by accident. While Akito's attention is on Tohru, Momiji runs to Shigure and Hatori for help. He later cries because he couldn't protect Tohru from Akito. By the next morning, however, he recovers and pretends that he and Tohru tripped last night and cut their cheeks by accident (he had a bandage from where Akito hit him and Tohru had one from where Akito scratched her cheek).

In volume 20 of the manga, it was discovered that Momiji was in love with Tohru, although he knew she didn't feel the same way about him. He later backed off because he could sense that Kyo was in love with her. He even encouraged Kyo to confess he was in love with her. In a way, Momiji and Kyo were rivals in love, though Momiji's kind disposition made him give in. Momiji jokes that if Kyo doesn't confess to Tohru, Momiji might try to steal her away. In the final chapter, Momiji is seen with Haru and Rin, when he tells them that someday he'll find a wonderful girlfriend (maybe even better than Tohru) and show her off to Tohru and Kyo, and to conclude that almost everyone ends up in a relationship.

Relationship with Hatori

Momiji thinks of Hatori Sohma as a friend, even though Hatori's serious nature is the exact opposite of Momiji's cheerful and easygoing attitude. Momiji knows of Hatori's past, including his relationship with Kana. Momiji takes up a little pity for Hatori, but said to Tohru that he really likes Hatori, and even calls him "Ha'ri".

Relationship with Akito

Throughout the early story it seems that they have no quarrels with each other. Akito has done little to upset Momiji so far as we have seen. However, after Momiji is freed from the curse he becomes terribly cold to Akito. Many people think one of three things happened. One is that they have a sad story in the past we have never seen. Another is that he starts to hate Akito after she physically injures Tohru. The third idea is that Momiji wants to show Akito how mean he was to everyone.

Trivia

• Momiji is often compared and confused with Ouran High School Host Club's "Hunny" (Mitsukuni Haninozuka) for their similarities not only in appearance and personality, but in their loving relations towards rabbits and sweets, and the fact that they have the same seiyu.