Fruits Basket: Forgiveness and Salvation

Sometimes it takes a push from another for us to realize our own worth, to open our eyes to the beauty of the present staring right at us.

Sometimes it is hard to move on, sometimes it is hard to move past our own faults, but as cruel as the world can be, the world is not devoid of kindness. Even with all the torture, with all the agony, something, someone will be out there, pulling us into its kind and loving embrace. There will be redemption, there will be salvation, someone will accept us flaws and all, but will also see that treasure within us. That someone will help us move forward and help us accept ourselves as who we are. And through that core message, Fruit Basket demonstrates its main conceit of redemption to us, the audience.

Fruits Basket is the story of Tohru Honda, when she comes across a family, as broken and damaged as they are, still desperately clinging onto their reason for living. It is through their connections with Tohru and each other that, by the end, they find a way to hold their heads high and become people they can be proud of. Each character grows and learns about themselves in the process, finding a way to accept themselves. Sometimes that help requires a third party to provide a spark, but it is ultimately within themselves that the characters begin to find hope within themselves.

And the centerpiece of Fruits Basket’s main narrative is Tohru Honda, the eternal ray of sunshine, whose kindness can shine light to even the darkest of depths. Her infectious smile and gentle words are the impetus the broken Sohma family desperately pine for to spark change within themselves. Her words and actions give them hope that a brighter tomorrow will be waiting for them. Whether it is in giving Kyou the belief that he belongs, Yuuki the courage to push himself forward, or whoever else it may be. And yet, within Tohru, there remains a part of her that is unable to accept an aspect of her feelings, trapping her within the past she so frantically wants to preserve. Imprisoned by the memory of her mother, Kyouko, Tohru is stubborn and scared. She believes that moving on from her mother will be a betrayal of Kyouko’s motherly love. So, she clings onto the memory of her mother, making sure that her mother will always be number one in her heart. But when Kyou comes into her life, Tohru agonizes. With every moment, with every day, she deepens her bond with Kyou, slowly but surely leaving her mother as but a memory of the past. And that frightens Tohru.

Tohru is still stuck in the past, continually clutching onto the memory of her mother for dear life. At first, Tohru tries to deny her own feelings, that there is no way anyone could dethrone her mother as the most precious person to her. And yet, Kyou is pushed to the brink, his emotions finally reaching a breaking point. Seeing her beloved in pain, Tohru accepts. Accepts that she should not remain chained to the past. Accepts that she was in denial about her pain. By trapping herself in the memories of the past, Tohru is unable to move past the guilt she has towards her mother’s passing. She is scared, but it is thanks to Kyou, who finally allowed her to come to terms with the truth. Kyou brings about that realization within her. And so, Tohru is able to forgive herself for wanting to move on and not being chained any longer.

Tohru was always shackled to the past, unwilling to move on from the past and keeping her mother chained to the land of the living. But because of Kyou, Tohru finds salvation in her mother’s death and is able to move forward from the past. That change comes when she is forced to pick between Kyou and her mother; the choice in front of Tohru is one of choosing to forgive the sins of the living or perpetuate the grudges of the long dead. The answer is an easy one for her as both her love for Kyou and her eternal kindness lead her to her only natural conclusion. Only through Kyou would Tohru have truly realized her shackles and truly moved on. And yet, she hates herself for her decision, thinking it as a betrayal to her dearest mother, tarnishing her memory and legacy. Just as Tohru has helped others, she too needs the eyes of another to drag her out of the mud.

No light can survive alone, and Tohru finds her reason to shine through to the future. Tohru finds salvation in her past, and is able to rectify her mentality and move forward towards a brighter tomorrow. Those shackles chaining her to the past will only weigh her down, and even though it can be so difficult to move forward, Tohru finds salvation to move forward. It is all because of Kyou. He accepts her and shows Tohru she can honor her mother without being stuck in the past. Kyou sees that plum on Tohru’s back. Forgiving to fault, the one person Tohru can not forgive is herself. And so, Kyou forgives her, doing the one thing Tohru could not accomplish on her own. That forgiveness allows Tohru to move on. Tohru can be forgiven, she finally realizes she is worthy of forgiveness. Thanks to Kyou giving her that salvation she could not provide herself, Tohru is able to smile wholeheartedly, free from those shackles.

And in contrast is Tohru’s foil, Akito Sohma, the head of Sohma family who desperately clings onto the shackles of the Original Promise. At its core, the Original Promise is the promise that glorifies the suffocating delusion of those unable to move on from the past and are too afraid to seek struggle onwards towards the future. Akito clings onto the Original Promise as the only way she can keep these bonds. Being free is scary and there is comfort in reliving the past. But that comfort is stagnant. Yes, the unknown future is terrifying, but there is beauty in growing, in embracing the treasures of every new day. It is something Akito only realizes after having the reality shoved in her face countless times before finally culminating in her confrontation with Tohru.

The Original Promise states: No matter how many seasons pass, the Zodiac spirits will be reunited with their God, forever partaking in the eternal banquet. However, the original Cat knows the ramifications of this promise, one keeping them trapped in the past, unable to move forward. There is no room to grow, no room to be saved, no room to overcome the mistakes of yesterday, ultimately leaving them forever frozen in the past. And yet, God and the other animals are unable to accept their faults and failures, instead choosing to remain forever static in their bonds, to stay within their comforting jail.

And Akito chooses to remain bound in that Original Promise, forcing the other Zodiac spirits to comply with her isolating wish. The beasts these Zodiacs transform into is a physical representation of their isolation from the world. Each Zodiac member can not move on from their past, their internal struggles weighing down on them like chains, trapping them to their pain and to Akito. But with Tohru’s generous kindness, each Zodiac member comes to the realization the original Cat made so long ago: remaining forever stagnant in the past will never allow them to move forward and live a meaningful life. And so one by one, their bonds with Akito are severed.

And so, with the chords snapped, Akito cries. Cries that she is being left behind in a world where no one wants her. Tha security blanket is all but gone and Akito is forced to face eye-to-eye with her sins. Is there redemption for someone as cruel and despicable as Akito? Yes, yes there is redemption. Tohru’s penchant for forgiveness extends far and beyond and embraces Akito in its loving embrace as well.

Nonetheless, Tohru falls off a cliff. And it is there, Akito learns the pain of these newformed bonds. She cries for help, desperate to save her savior. And through that, Akito is able to take that first step into accepting her past, flaws and all, and move forward. Tohru’s kindness saved her from an isolating existence and opened her eyes to the worth she has beyond the bonds of the past. Akito is redeemed, forgiven by others and forgiven by herself. She is finally able to move forward and live in the present, while treasuring the moment of each day, with her beloved Shigure by her side.

In contrast to Tohru, Akito is the representation of Tohru without that forgiving kindness. They both recognize the struggles each Zodiac member faces. Akito only perpetuates their pain, while Tohru swears to solve it. Tohru is just as the original Cat, seeing the flaws and pains suffered by those trapped within the curse. The conflicting desires between the two eventually clash. Tohru wants them to break free and accept themselves fully, flaws and all. There is fear with that, bearing those sins with someone else, but only then will that promote acceptance and moving forward. Akito wants them to drown in their struggles, their only solace being in their God. By never moving forward, they will continue to tread water; however, catharsis and the pain associated with salvation will never come for them that way. And when those two ideals finally collide, Tohru recognizes Akito’s own pain, allowing her to finally express those feelings buried within her. In the end, they each forgive themselves.

And then there is Kyou. The cat, abandoned and scorned by everyone. Bitter and isolated, Kyou has always had the belief is the loner, the one no one wants. Abandoned by his parents, Kazuma takes him and tries to rehabilitate him and show him the kindness of the world. But even so, his trauma was too deeply ingrained, his hatred and pain only growing more and more. His true form is the ugly beast Kyou thinks of himself as, something that everyone will reject. There is no way a beast like him can be loved. This pain is compounded with the pain of seeing Kyouko die right in front of him, her final words acting as a curse that he will forever be incapable of being loved.

But there Tohru is, giving Kyou shelter and comfort, and most importantly, a reason to belong. She embraces his true form despite how hideous and grotesque it appears on the outside. All of us have flaws, all of us have aspects of ourselves we are too scared to show to the world. Scared because we do not want others to reject us. Scared because we can not see the good within ourselves. And yet, that plum shines. Shines so brightly, and yet it is invisible to our own eyes. Tohru is able to see past Kyou’s true form and see that plum still calling out to her, showing her the beauty of the person that is Kyou Sohma. Despite the revolting beast Kyou thinks himself to be, Tohru is able to see his kindness, his spunkiness, his compassion, and most importantly, his desire to be accepted by someone, anyone. So Tohru embraces Kyou’s true form, because his true form is not his only aspect, not the only thing encompassing his whole being.

And Tohru’s salvation comes again when Kyou reveals the circumstances of Kyoko’s passing. He does not expect forgiveness from others, because he himself can not forgive who he is. And yet, Tohru’s radiant warmth shines through, even as she breaks down in tears. Through thick and thin, she is willing to forgive Kyou when no one else is. No one else but Tohru is able to drag Kyou to the salvation he so desperately seeks. And through that, Kyou is able to find a place where he belongs, a place where his faults are embraced, and a place where he can learn from his mistakes and become a better person. And so, Kyou is able to reconcile his own feelings with his present and step into the radiant sunshine, with his beloved, Tohru.

And finally there is Yuuki, the rat who remains trapped with the Zodiac God. The trauma and torment he faces leaves him as a shell, trapped and unable to move forward. Those words of torment echo in his mind every time he tries to take a step forward. Isolated from a young age, he has not learned love nor the courage to be who he wants. Even at school, he remains alone, atop a throne of emptiness. He is never grounded into the reality of others, never given a chance to reach out to others. Forced to play the part of Akito’s fiddle, he becomes a mere doll, something to be looked at from afar, but never to be appreciated from up close.

But little by little, his interactions with Tohru show him the compassion he so desperately desires. Her unyielding kindness shows that even Yuuki can redeem himself and find the courage to be who he wants to be. With every step he takes, whether it be entering the student council or confronting his own mother, Yuuki, because of the courage given to him by Tohru, is finally able to break out of his shell and become someone who is more confident in himself. Yuuki is able to move forward because of those pushes of encouragement from Tohru and that finally allows him to grow into a better version of himself. When it seemed like all hope was lost for Yuuki, Tohru appeared and offered him salvation and kindness, something that was never a part of his life before.

Yuuki finds forgiveness in himself and wants to be that same beacon to someone else that Tohru was to him. And there, he meets Machi, someone trapped by the weight of isolation as Yuuki was before.Taking the lessons he learns from Tohru, Yuuki embraces Machi’s flaws and allows her to forgive herself. Each little thing, such as breaking the chalk or offering to walk in the snow with her, is Yuuki reciprocating the kindness he received from Tohru and giving it to someone else. Yuuki understands Machi’s pain and is able to empathize with her on a personal level. By Yuuki giving her an avenue to forgive herself and move forward, Machi is able to overcome her own faults and accept who she is. Through Machi, Yuuki is able to take the lessons he learned through Tohru to save someone else, so that they will not be trapped in their own heads either. And so, Yuuki and Machi are able to move forward from their past trauma and become people they can be proud of. In the end, Yuuki’s own salvation drives him to be that guiding hand for someone and end the cycle of torment that he faced as a child.

Each character in Fruits Basket goes through their own journey of self-discovery, as they learn who they are and embrace the kindness around them. Through the bonds they share with others, the characters find their own salvation, and a way to forgive themselves. And so they pull themselves out from their own despair to become someone better. Everyone has worth, everyone has value, and sometimes it takes a special someone to open our eyes to our own intrinsic value. Together, we are stronger.