About

(do not touch shigure hatori or yuki they are tek tek characters)
Akito plays an antagonistic role in the anime. Akito was first mentioned in episode two of the anime, in which Yuki told Tohru (whom had just discovered the family's secret curse) that when he was a child, there had been a similar incident in which people found out about the curse. He'd been playing with a group of children, and one of the young girls had hugged him, turning him into the rat. Upon remembering this, Yuki also recalled a young Akito telling him that his friends' memories had to be erased, because a boy turning into a rat was unnatural and needed to be hidden. Meanwhile, in the same episode, Akito was informed by Shigure that Tohru had discovered their curse. Akito replied that he would trust Tohru, citing that it might be "a great opportunity" for Yuki, Kyo, and himself. Later, when Shigure told Tohru that Akito had allowed her to keep her memories, and to live with them, so long as she kept their secret, Yuki became suspicious. He voiced his concern that Akito might be intending to use all of them for something. Shigure, however, brushed this theory off, saying to trust Akito to do what's best. Shigure also mentioned that it was Akito's decision for Kyo to live with them in his house, as well.

Akito was next mentioned in episode seven. In the episode, Hatori Sohma and Momiji Sohma visited Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo's school for the cultural festival. Hatori mentioned that Akito had wanted to go himself, but couldn't, because he was sick with a fever. Hatori also managed to trick Yuki and Kyo into smiling for a picture, saying that Akito had asked him to snap one for him. (The questions were: What's 1 2, in the English manga, what's 1 1 in the Japanese manga and anime and what's the last letter of the alphabet, in the English anime.)

In episode eight, Tohru visited the Sohma estate for the first time. She learned from Hatori that Akito suffered from frequent illnesses, and thus, he required much of Hatori's time as a doctor. During her visit, Hatori also recalled the time he'd fallen in love with a co-worker of his (Kana) when he and Kana went before Akito to request permission to marry, Akito became so enraged that he slapped a vase to the floor, the shards of which pierced one of Hatori's eyes on accident. Akito then blamed Kana for Hatori's injury; this caused Kana a lot of emotional distress and she thus became quite ill. Akito eventually convinced Hatori to end Kana's suffering by erasing all of her memories of their time together. Whilst Hatori remembered all of this in private, Momiji also relayed some of the same chilling tale to Tohru. Shortly after, Shigure appeared for a visit to the Sohma estate and later, took Tohru home. On their way out of the estate, however, Tohru caught a glimpse of Akito hanging out of a window ledge, watching her. She briefly wondered if whom she saw was, indeed, the mysterious head of the family, when Shigure interrupted her thoughts, telling her to keep up or she might get lost.

In episode nine, both Yuki and Kyo skipped out on the Sohmas' New Years banquet, opting instead to spend the holiday with Tohru. Shigure was the one to inform Akito of this, whom silently seethed at the announcement.
Akito in the anime
Akito in the anime

In episode 13, Akito made his official début in the series by visiting Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru's school on the opening ceremony day. Tohru ran into him while she was alone on the school's grounds, and was pleasantly surprised at the way Akito appeared very friendly and nice, even going so far as to call her "cute." Akito claimed that he was quite shy, and thus didn't introduce himself before when he was caught watching her in the Sohma estate (episode eight); he then requested that he and Tohru become friends. Suddenly, it dawned upon Tohru that Akito's eyes were quite cold and hate-filled, and that his air of politeness was surely an act. Yuki, however, interrupted the pair before anyone could say anything more. He demanded to know what Akito did to Tohru whilst they were alone; Akito replied that he did absolutely nothing except introduce himself. Akito then quietly asked Yuki why he had skipped out on the New Years banquet; Akito threatened to lock him back up in the small, dark room that he kept especially for him. Yuki then had a flashback to his childhood (which was an added scene of the anime). In the flashback, he recalled a young Akito entering the dark room Yuki was confined to, shouting that he was the head of the family and was thus to be obeyed; Yuki also recalled the trauma of Akito physically beating him with a little whip, despite Yuki's pleas to stop. Remembering this horrible period of his life, Yuki became visibly upset, and Tohru quickly interrupted, pushing Akito away from him. Later in the episode, Shigure told Hatori that on their way home from the school, Akito commented on how "ugly" and "dumb" he believed Tohru to be, vowing that Yuki would soon return to him, because Yuki obviously still feared him.

In episode 21, it was revealed that when Hiro Sohma told Akito that he was in love with Kisa Sohma, Akito—upon glimpsing the two together in the hallway—slapped and pushed Kisa down to the floor.

In episode 24, a confrontation between Kazuma Sohma (Kyo's adoptive father) and Akito took place (exclusive only to the anime). In the scene, Kazuma had just returned home from his long journey into the mountains; he visited Akito, saying that "things" had gone well since he'd first left. Akito asked, "Don't you think it's time? Time that we revealed that freak cat's true form?" Kazuma gravely agreed. Smirking, Akito wondered aloud what Tohru would do when she sees Kyo's true form; he went onto imagine how Tohru would break down, not being able to stand the horror of the cat, and would most likely never set foot in Shigure's house again. Akito then mused that such a thing would probably make Yuki very unhappy, as well.

In episode 25, Kyo remembered that when he was a child, Akito had seen his true form, and had commented on how ugly and sick smelling it was. In the episode, the anime also added an extra scene between Akito and Tohru. After Kyo ran off, and Tohru struggled after him, Akito appeared in the woods, walking toward Tohru. At first, he pretended to be caring, asking her if something was wrong, but quickly, he switched gears and mockingly asked Tohru what she really knew about the Sohmas, and if she actually understood what it meant to be cursed. Akito then told her that he only had a short time left to live and that nothing could change it (a revelation which never occurred in the manga); he went onto say, "I alone carry the full weight of the Zodiac curse." Musing aloud, Akito wondered what it was that everyone expected of Tohru, asking her if they thought that she could save them somehow. Akito told Tohru that she deserved the pain she felt, warning her that he would make her regret ever getting involved with the Sohmas. However, just then Shigure appeared calling out to Akito, who chuckled and complained that thanks to Tohru, he was soaking wet from the rain. He then departed in the car that had been waiting for him near-by.

Episode 26 is the only episode in the series in which all of its events never occurred in the manga; it brings the anime to its conclusion. In the episode, when Tohru returned to Shigure's house with Kyo's cat form cradled in her arms, Akito was shown briefly looming over a hillside, before quickly leaving. The next morning, having recalled what Akito had said to her, Tohru informed Shigure over breakfast that she would like to go see Akito. Shigure then took Tohru outside and explained that Akito only had a short time left to live because he bore the "core" of the Zodiac curse. This, Shigure said, was decided at the time Akito was born, and despite what Tohru might have hoped, it could not be changed. All the Sohmas could do, he added, was live the way Akito told them to before his early demise. Shigure suggested that it would be best if Tohru steered clear of Akito. Tohru agreed, but the next day, somehow got Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo to take her the Main House for a visit.

When they met, Akito was lounging in his room. He asked Tohru what she came for, saying to speak her mind because he wouldn't grow angry; however, from the way he scratched his nails across the wooden floor, it was clear that he was quite angry and irritated. Tohru answered simply that she didn't know why she had come in the first place. Akito stood and suddenly grabbed hold of Tohru by her hair in a fit of rage. While Shigure and Yuki immediately tried to hold him back, Akito began yelling that Tohru in fact knew exactly what she wanted to say, but that she was just afraid to voice it. Akito declared that she wants to ask him if she can go on living with Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo, but that Akito himself would not allow it. He again vowed to make Tohru regret having anything to do with the Sohmas, also asking her if she truly thought that coming and kneeling before him would change anything. Then, addressing the Juunishi, he announced the no one could leave the Sohmas or go against the head of the family.

Akito then demanded that Tohru beg for forgiveness and promise that she'd never interfere with their family again. Surprisingly, though, Tohru began to cry and speak sympathetically, telling Akito that it must have been hard for him to be told, from the moment of his birth, that he was going to die. She went onto say that when Akito passed away, everyone—including herself—would be very sad. At that, Akito smirked and informed Tohru that everyone was able to live thanks to him, and that they all hoped he would die quickly. He also told her that he was born in order to die, and that it had been decided at the moment of his birth. When Tohru tearfully demanded why and who decided such a thing, Akito grew angry and blurted out, "It's been decided! It's been decided! And they never even asked me!" This sentiment seemed to surprise Shigure, Yuki, and Hatori.

Tohru, however, began to relate the story of how her mother died, saying that she hadn't wanted her to pass away, but had wished that she would be able to be a part of her life for a long time. Akito, growing more and more desperate, demanded that Hatori instantly erase Tohru's memories; Hatori, however, remained unresponsive. As Akito then ordered that Tohru cease her crying, Tohru continued to speak, saying that while she didn't know anything about their family's curse, she was very happy to have met all of them, including Akito. This seemed to simultaneously baffle and move Akito, whom remained quiet as Tohru expressed her wish to get to know Akito better, to learn how he felt, and what his likes and dislikes were. Tohru told him that the important thing at the moment was that he was alive. After a moment of silence, Akito let go of his tight grip on Tohru's hair, and smacked Shigure and Yuki to the floor, away from himself. He stared off contemplatively, and replied quietly, "I don't know."

At the end of episode 26, Akito was last seen sitting on the outer walkway of his room in the gardens with a little white bird perched on his arm, commonly believed to be the animal form of Kureno Sohma, the rooster of the Zodiac, who transformed into a sparrow instead of a true rooster. Support for this varies within the fandom however, due to the fact that in the manga, Kureno was released from the curse more than ten years before the canon storyline began.

[edit] Manga

[edit] Background
A young Akito, Akira, and Ren
A young Akito, Akira, and Ren

In the manga, Akito Sohma was born female, the child of Akira Sohma (then the head of the Sohma family) and Ren Sohma (a maid in the Main House); according to the Fruits Basket Character Book, his Western zodiac sign is Cancer, and his blood type is AB.

Akito's true gender is known only to the four eldest cursed Sohmas—Hatori, Shigure, Ayame, and Kureno—who, on the night of Akito's conception, had a dream in which the god-spirit of the Chinese Zodiac told the boys that he was coming to be amongst them, as was promised hundreds of years before (chapter 131). (According to the author, Natsuki Takaya, the birth of a child possessed of the god-spirit is a rare occurrence.[3])

Long before Akito was born, Ren demanded that Akito be raised male or else she wouldn't give birth to the child; Ren claimed that having a female heir would "cause problems," though the more likely reason for raising Akito male (as Shigure pointed out in a chapter 115 flashback) was because of Ren's insecurity over not being first in Akira's heart, and her jealousy of her husband's great affection for their child. Fearing that Ren would actually abort the baby, Akira agreed to these terms. (Even so, in some flashbacks to Akito's childhood, as in chapters 115 and 117, Akito is depicted wearing a little girl's kimono, and Akira even called Akito a "special girl" within the same scene.)

When Akito was born, apparently the most excited one over the birth was Akira. Since Akito was revealed to be possessed by the god-spirit (the Jade Emperor) of the Chinese Zodiac, Akira saw this as a sign that his relationship with Ren was "special," and because of Akito's "godliness," he and others in the inner circle lavished Akito with attention. Ren, however, was not glad over Akito's birth, and according to chapter 115 of the manga, refused to even hold Akito as a baby. In Akito's recollection of childhood, he says of Ren, "Mother was cold-hearted, and her anger was always aimed at me. I hate her." (Chapter 117)

Sometime in Akito's childhood, Akira's illness took a turn for the worse. On his death-bed, he told the young Akito not to be afraid, adding that he would always be with him, even if he couldn't physically see him. Akira went onto confess that he had wanted Ren to be the happiest over Akito, because Akito was a "special existence," and therefore he and Ren were special. After he passed away, when Ren found out that no one had come to get her when Akira had been dying, she yelled at the young Akito that he was an unwanted existence, and that he had only been a little toy to amuse Akira; Ren also added that, because Akira was dead, no one had any more need of him.

Akito countered these statements, telling his hysterical mother that his father had loved him; but because of Akira's parting words, even Akito herself doubted that Akira had loved him the most, fearing that he had "lost" to "that woman" (Ren). One of the elderly maids, wanting to comfort Akito, proceeded to give him an empty box, claiming that Akira's spirit was inside it, and that he had wanted only Akito to receive such a special gift. (The same maid later claimed, in chapter 117, that the box was of course empty, and only given to Akito to help him through such a stressful time, adding that Akito should have well known that his father's spirit wasn't really inside the box.) All of his life, Akito kept this box hidden away in his room; he told Kureno in chapter 117 that part of him didn't believe that anything was inside of the box, yet another part always hoped that maybe there was.

After his father's early death, Akito became the head of the Sohma family (raised to appear and act as a male), in addition to his role as God of the Zodiac animals.

According to an interview with Natsuki Takaya, Akito was enrolled in "better" and "more expensive" schools than everyone else in the Zodiac, though he completed all of his schooling (including high school) by correspondence.