Saki Hanajima

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Fruits Basket character
Saki Hanajima
Gender	Female
Age	16-17
Height	162 cm
Blood Type	AB
Sign	Aries
Occupation	End of Anime: 2nd year at Kaibara High School Manga: 3rd year at Kaibara High School

Saki Hanajima (花島 咲 Hanajima Saki) is best friends with Arisa Uotani and Tohru Honda in the manga and anime series entitled Fruits Basket. Affectionally called Hana-chan by her friends (see Japanese honorifics), Saki Hanajima has an electromagnetic power that allows her detect waves, sense the true nature of people, and see others' auras. Her gothic way of bearing also contributes in frightening many of her classmates, but she is, in essence, wise beyond her years.

Background

When Saki was younger, the first discoveries of her power frightened her. A boy, one of her classmates, taunted her, called her a witch, and forced her to devour a live newt. In uncontrollable anger and outrage, Saki commanded the boy to die in her mind. With this thought, the boy suddenly collapsed unconscious onto the floor, nearly dead. Realizing what she could do with her power, she became wary and terrified of herself. She knew that she had a great ability, but was horrified that she also had the power to harm people. From then on, she decided to remind herself of how dangerous she was. She began ignoring people and dressing in a gothic manner, not to frighten others for vanity, but to scare them away, and to remind herself of her threat.

After the incident at her school, Saki and her parents decided to transfer her so that she would begin a new life at another school. There she met Tohru Honda and Arisa Uotani, who welcomed the 'new kid' with open arms. Unfortunately, one day another student heard a rumour about Saki's reputation at her previous school and questioned her in front of Tohru and Arisa. Horrifed and taken aback, Saki ran out of the room in tears and was followed immediately by her friends, later on a staircase she shouted at them, telling them "not to go near her" for her fear that she would hurt them. The two friends spoke against Saki's wishes, stating that they would love her no matter what and did not care for her past and what powers she had. With these words Saki and Tohru cried with happiness and embraced in true friendship, the three now promising to be best friends regardless of what had happened in the past or would happen in the future.

Arisa and Saki later vowed upon the grave of Tohru's mother Kyoko Honda that they would always be there to protect Tohru. Therefore, Hana always stands up for Tohru, and Arisa and Saki were later the first to 'inspect' Shigure Sohma's home when Tohru began living there to make sure she was comfortable and well-cared for. This particular event was troublesome to the three cursed Sohmas living in the house. In spite of their caution, the three were continuously transformed and had to avoid being seen, lest Hatori Sohma would have to supress Saki's, Arisa's, and Tohru's memories.

Family

In the manga, Saki's past as well as her family is more so depicted than in the anime. In regards to her family, she has a brother, a grandmother, and two parents. Her brother is Megumi Hanajima, who is around 13 years of age, and her mother, father, and grandmother are as of yet unnamed. When Saki was having difficulty with classmates at school, her family encouraged her to keep going. Her family, being very supportive of her constant anguish in the past due to her powers, agreed to transfer her to another school due to her problematic, rumour-based reputation. Due to her troubles in academics, as well, her family also is strongly helpful and passionate towards getting Saki through high school and moving her towards a promising future. Saki and her family are very close.

Saki and her younger brother, Megumi, are extremely close especially considering that they are such distant siblings. Like her family, Megumi has always been there for Saki, and when he learned of his sister's powers, he, not wanting his sister to be the only "weird one" in the family, studied the art of curses until he finally mastered it. He joined Saki in her predicament so that she would not be alone in her sufferings.

Megumi and Saki are very alike in many ways whether it be personality or appearance (though Saki insists that they do not look alike, though it is more than obvious that they do). Like his sister, he is also highly mature for his age, not only in intelligence and behaviour but as well as in sexual maturity, as Arisa (slightly jokingly) states when he makes a comment how he came to her restaurant only to see her in a miniskirt: "You know, you really don't act like a middle schooler; more like a lecherous old man."