Akito Sohma, the antagonist of the story ‘Fruits Basket’ transitioned into the perfect ‘villain’ as the story progressed. The ways she used to manipulate, deceive, and blackmail the Sohma family zodiac made her the most annoying and villainous character.
Not only that, she forced quite a number of people to do her bidding, ending the relationships in a twisted fashion. The twelve zodiacs of the Chinese legend, excluding the cat, are part of the Sohma family and are cursed to turn into their animal form under given conditions. Only Akito (the reincarnation of God) is excluded, giving him the ‘right’ to control the zodiacs.
Read More: List Of All The Chinese Zodiacs In ‘Fruits Basket’
Was Akito Sohma Truly An Evil Entity?
Akito Sohma was taught to be the ‘God’ of the Sohma family since her birth. To act like the head of such a large family and the zodiacs, she was forced to hide her identity and dress like a male in front of all people. Akito is the daughter of Rin and Akira. Rin, her mother was obsessed with Akira and wanted all his attention to herself.
Unfortunately for her, Akira’s attention turned to their daughter Akito which made Rin jealous of her own child. She started tormenting her and used her as a way to unleash Rin’s inner demons. This made Akito turn into an obsessive person carving for love.
Her ‘love’ meant she can control and use the zodiacs according to her wish. If they didn’t listen to her, she would throw fits and even endanger the lives of her own people. The more controlled she wanted to be, the more the zodiacs wanted to be free from the bindings.
Tohru’s intervention in the Sohma family matters only worsened the situation, though it provided support for the zodiac members. Akito may have been a nice, and sweet girl had it not been her mother torturing and traumatizing her since childhood.
Read More: ‘Fruits Basket’: Best Couples Who Are Made For Each Other
Who Started The Cycle Of Evil?
If someone truly is to blame in the show, it would be Rin Sohma, the mother of Akito and the maid. Her mother continued her crazy antics on Akito, and the maid accepted all her bidding. She never reiterated or protected the young child. Furthermore, she went on to encourage the actions of Rin, forcing Akito to seclude herself from everyone in the family.
Rin made Akito think that she is the ‘God’ of the family and had to control others. If not, they would leave her. Akito who was deprived of love from a tender age craved love for everyone more than anything. She thus became obsessive and manipulative and suffered from an identity crisis.
Her mother forced Akito to dress like a boy. In time, Akito fell in love with Shigure but was unable to see through her emotions because of her ‘duties’. She refused others to let them know she was actually a girl rather than the projected image of a ‘boy’. She thought no one will comply with her if she doesn’t act like a boy.
Rin further twisted things in an ugly way, when she accepted to spend the night with Shigure just to spite Akito. Akito slept with Kureno, and in rage, Shigure did the same but with her mother. Even though things were so twisted, how can a mother spite their own child so much? In the end, Akito was able to get out of this circle of hatred and embrace the happiness she was meant to find.
Read More: ‘Fruits Basket’: The Biggest Differences Between The 2001 And The 2019 Version
