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Ritsu Sohma (草摩 利津 Sōma Ritsu) is a fictional character in the manga and anime series entitled Fruits Basket. He transforms into the monkey of the Chinese Zodiac whenever he is hugged by the opposite gender or his body comes under a great deal of stress.
Role in the story
Ritsu is an insecure character who dresses in women's clothing to conceal his feelings of inadequacy. He believes that
because he sees himself as not particularly intelligent or physically powerful, he brings disgrace upon the Sohma family.
He is constantly apologizing for his actions, even when he is not at fault. He can also be suicidal and has a certain spot on his side that makes him faint; Shigure Sohma takes advantage of it quite often.
Ritsu's insecurity likely derived from his childhood constantly witnessing his parents, particularly his mother, continually
apologizing for Ritsu's faults. His mother, while hardworking and dedicated to running the Sohma family's onsen hotel, was easily stressed and had a tendency to overact. Witnessing his mother working and his parents apologizing constantly
impacted his character greatly and Ritsu soon began exhibiting these traits as well. In hopes of overcoming his lack of self-esteem
(perhaps thinking rather ambitiously in hoping to become more like his cousin, Ayame), he decides to meet with Tohru Honda, who helped the shy Kisa Sohma overcome her problems as well as other members of the Jyūnishi.
Ritsu is also one of the few members of the Jyūnishi who has never been hurt by Akito Sohma directly or indirectly (Kagura Sohma and Ayame Sohma appear to be the only other ones). This is both surprising and a blessing given that Ritsu tends to dress and act very feminine
(a fact that Akito would not tolerate given that she despises the female members of the Zodiac, claiming them to be "stealing"
the males away.), especially given the fact that Ritsu lacks confidence. He also is extremely gullible believing all of Shigures
tricks
Family
Ritsu's mother, Mesho-san
Ritsu's mother, Mesho-san, also known as "Okami-san", as she is most often referred to as ('okami' being the Japanese
term for the hostess at an onsen), or more rarely, the "Ghost Lady", is introduced, as well as appearing before Ritsu, in Chapter 18 of the manga
(Episode 12 in the anime) when Tohru, Momiji, Yuki, and Kyo take a trip to the Sohma Onsen for Momiji's White Day Present for Tohru. As Momiji introduces her to Tohru, Mesho-san at first she seems to be a fragile middle-aged woman who
at times seems frightening and ghost-like as she wails and moans rather than compared to her son who usually cries when apologising,
though the simularities between both are very well recognizable. Further in the chapter while Tohru and the others have a
quick bath before dinner, though the scene is done somewhat differently in the anime (Tohru suddenly gets dizzy in the baths
during the daytime and faints, then later returns to the baths after dinner to find Mesho-san joining her), Mesho-san accompanies
Tohru in the spring and converses with her about her son, Ritsu, who she admits to her is the monkey of the zodiac (although
in the anime, Ritsu's gender is not revealed in this particular conversation). During this time she also apologises to Tohru
for she confesses that when she had first heard of someone outside of the Sohma family knowing of the curse, she became worried,
but now knowing Tohru and that it is she who is the one who knows, she is "relieved".
Also worth noting is that in the manga there is a small part of the bath scene which was never adapted into the anime which
slightly reveals Mesho-san's true feelings about Ritsu. When first hearing about Mesho-san's son, Tohru can not help but ask
what he is like, and Mesho-san, though screaming with apologies, replies heartfully "...from the world's point of view he's
like that but he's very precious to me deep down. He's very kind. He's my only child..."
According to Natsuki Takaya, Mesho-san is actually a "revival" of a character from her previous manga Tsubasa o Motsu Mono. In Chapter 18's Ultra Special Blah Blah Blah 6 Takaya states: "I thought it would be a waste to not use this
character anymore...so I brought her back. It's very rare. Normally, I don't do that kind of thing."
Relationship with Mitchan
Ritsu (or Ritchan-san as Tohru calls him) has a small (mostly fan-invented) relationship with Mitchan, Shigure's editor. Both are constantly stressed by Shigure's indifference to almost everything, and have a tendency to overreact.
They meet when Mitchan comes to Shigure's house to get his manuscript only to discover Shigure supposedly has not finished
it. Mitchan begins to scream and threaten to commit seppuku as Ritsu screams with her, blaming himself for Shigure's failure to complete the manuscript, believing that it was because
he forgot to bring Shigure the takoyaki he asked for that he was unable to finish it. As their screams at Shigure become more ridiculous, they realize they have
something in common and Mitchan comes to tell a very sympathetic Ritsu all of Shigure's faults and how he is constantly antagonizing
her.
According to Takaya, there are "many heartwarming episodes" left between Mitchan and Ritsu, "but now that the main story
has progressed so far, there might not be time to draw them..." (Chapter 67) Also in the same chapter, Mitchan is dubbed officially
as Ritsu's "honey", meaning most likely that their relationship is more serious than a popular fandom.
In an unpublished short comic entitled "Ai ga Areba" ("As Long As There's Love") featured near the end of
the Fruits Basket fanbook, "Neko", Ritsu and Mitchan are seen, though very briefly, together on a date walking
through a park-like scene in the beginning of winter. Both are quite nervous amongst one another, though with a few realizations
throughout their time together, they both discover they are perfect for one another. Ritsu is more than happy to find out
that Mitchan does not mind him wearing a furisode, to which Ritsu "put on without thinking" before their meeting. It is also revealed that Mitchan actually does not know Ritsu's
true gender (though she assumes he is a male), but besides such things likes him for his caring, sweet personality and for
who he is and represents within himself and others. As Ritsu nervously offers Mitchan a shawl for warmth in the cold temperatures, the couple is seen walking together towards a cherry blossom tree to gaze at its beauty,
and possibly, each other's. The one-page story ends happily with Natsuki Takaya's words, "They seem very happy".
