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Kyoko Honda in a photograph. That is
Hiro Sohma's thumb in the lower right-hand corner.
Kyoko Honda (本田今日子 Honda Kyōko), née Kyoko Katsunuma, is a
fictional character in the anime and manga series Fruits Basket.
Kyoko is the late mother of Tohru Honda. Since she is not among the living, her appearances are through flashbacks.
Role in the story
Family
When she was young, Kyoko caused trouble and cut classes, and was disowned by her parents. She was also the leader of an
all-female gang/suicide squad called 'The Red Butterfly (Suicide Squad)', the name originating from the legend of how the tail lights on
her bicycle trailed like a bright red butterfly when she rode at night. However, Kyoko later moved on and got a job.
Kyoko and
Arisa Uotani after Kyoko saved Arisa from her former gang-members (flashback)
She fell in love with student teacher Katsuya Honda which contributed to her leaving her gang. They shortly married and
had a daughter— Tohru. Katsuya became a positive influence in her life, and they worked through difficulties in a joint
effort. When he died from illness, however, Kyoko descended into depression, neglected Tohru, and almost committed suicide. Eventually though, Kyoko came to her senses and vowed to never again disregard Tohru for whatever reason. She raised Tohru
by herself, not to mention the care she offered Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima, Tohru's best friends.
Relationship with Kyo Sohma
Sometime in the story, Kyoko met Kyo Sohma when he was young and mentioned a word about 'a man's promise', asking him to look after Tohru. This could explain Kyo and
Tohru's growing bond. Over the years Kyo remained friends with Kyoko. He was even there when the car hit her. Though he saw
the car coming, and had the chance to save her, doing so would cause him to embrace her. It was either his secret or Kyoko's
life. Kyo swears that he heard her say "I'll never forgive you," something that still haunts him to this day.
Death and legacy
Near the initiation of the series, when Kyoko's past had not yet been revealed, she died in a car accident one May morning, and her daughter Tohru went to live with her grandfather (Katsuya's father), and later, Shigure Sohma's house. Tohru holds Kyoko as the most important person in her life (which causes her an immense amount of pain later in
the series) and always carries a photograph of her. At times, she talks to her mother in her mind, recounting the day's experiences
or simply basking the memories they shared. Later, it is revealed that on the day of the accident, Kyo (whom she had met years
ago) was standing nearby and spotted the car. He was about to pull her away, but that would involve embracing her, which would
turn him into a cat in front of many people. So he did nothing, and Kyoko was hit. The driver of the car (who was the father
of Kakeru Manabe's girlfriend) died instantly and Kyoko died later at the hospital. Seeing her lying on the ground covered in blood, Kyo swears
he heard her say "I won't forgive you" He then ran to Kazuma Sohma and trained in the mountains
