Not only is Fruits Basket one of the best-selling shojo manga series of all time, it is profound as proven by its best quotes. The story follows Tohru Honda, an orphaned teenage girl who lives with three members of the mysterious Soma family: Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure. When she arrived at her new home, she realized she received a lot more than she bargained for, as new secrets about the family members came to light every day.
As they journey through life together, the characters express countless thought-provoking insights on topics like love, friendship, and the meaning of life. Fruits Basket is a romance anime at its core, sharing a beautiful tale of true, unwavering love and acceptance. Its heartfelt plot allows the story to communicate so many valuable lessons to its viewers, unraveling the complexities of life in a gorgeously animated and heartwarming format.
10 "Just as All Good Things, Happy Things, Fun Things Must Come to an End, Scary and Sad Things Will Also Come to an End. Always."
Spoken by Tohru Honda
Life has placed Tohru in a variety of situations, some good and some bad. In this profound quote, she acknowledges that both positive and negative events are unavoidable and represent the variety of the human experience. Like anyone, Tohru has memories, like meeting the Somas or spending time with friends, that she cherishes, and memories she'd rather forget, like her mother's accident.
Tohru acknowledges that part of being alive is taking both the good and the bad in stride. She wisely realizes that happy times won't last forever, but neither will sorrowful moments. It is this motivating truth that spurs Tohru on through even the darkest of life's circ*mstances.
9 “I Want To Believe That Life Isn’t Full of Darkness. Even if Storms Come to Pass, the Sun Will Shine Again. No Matter How Painful and Hard the Rain May Beat Down on Me.”
Spoken by Akito Soma
Akito is widely considered the villain of Fruits Basket, due to her mistreatment of various members of the Soma family and Tohru. She is incredibly jealous and does not take kindly to anyone she perceives might be trying to break the family apart. The reason she is so adamant that the Somas stay together is her fear of abandonment.
Akito often lashes out and treats the family cruelly due to her own personal insecurities. In this line, she struggles to adopt a hopeful outlook and see beyond her state of sorrow and anger. Although her abuse of others is definitely unjustifiable, these words reveal a sudden turn to a surprisingly positive outlook that is rare to see from the somber Akito.
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8 "My Happiness Comes From the Kindness of Those Around Me."
Spoken by Tohru Honda
Tohru Honda may very well be anime's most bubbly, positive protagonist. Despite losing her mother in an accident and becoming homeless, she is rarely pictured without a beaming smile. In these words, she expresses the true origins of her unshakable joy.
Tohru is immensely grateful to the people who surround her, including her closest friends, Saki and Arisa, and the Soma family members. She attributes much of her success and delight in life to the people she loves deeply, who enrich her experience of being alive. Tohru has experienced tragedies and difficulties like everyone else, but her strong support network makes those setbacks much easier to bear.
7 "I Wish I Could’ve Lived My Life Without Making Any Wrong Turns. But That’s Impossible. A Path Like That Doesn’t Exist."
Spoken by Yuki Soma
Yuki Soma, like anyone would, regrets the mistakes he has made in life. He wishes he could have experienced a pain-free and perfect life, but in this quote, he realistically acknowledges the impossibility of living a life without flaws. Yuki's character arc is one of the most inspiring and beautifully executed in Fruits Basket.
Many of his regrets in life were not his fault at all, as Yuki was abused by Akito, leaving him with emotional trauma to work through. Healing from abuse is not a linear journey, but by the end of the series, he has made great strides in building a fulfilling life for himself now that the zodiac animals curse that dominates much of Fruits Basket's plot is broken. He found meaning in his leadership role as Student Council President, true love with a fellow student, Machi, and worked on rebuilding his previously fragile self-esteem.
6 “Pain Would Mean Nothing Without Kindness. Darkness Can’t Stand Out Without the Sun. Neither Is Something To Scoff At. Both Sides of the Equation Have Meaning.”
Spoken by Kyoko Honda
When Tohru was in high school, her mother Kyoko Honda was killed in a car accident. Kyoko was a joyous, wise person just like Tohru, imparting the valuable knowledge she had gained throughout life to her daughter. One such tidbit of wisdom is this quote, in which she acknowledges how pain and joy go together, in a way.
Kyoko acknowledges that just like light and dark, sorrow and happiness need one another. One could never exist without the other, as difficult as that truth is to accept. In just this one line, it is clear to see how insightful about the nature of life Kyoko was, always looking at the big picture to put her experiences in perspective.
5 "Be Selfish, Say What You Want Once in a While. It’s Okay To Let Yourself Be Sad."
Spoken by Kyo Soma
Tohru is the type of person to be positive no matter what, which Kyo picked up on. As he got to know her, he realized that she was downplaying her true emotions to avoid burdening others. In this quote, he explained to her that she should be honest about her feelings, even when they are not happy ones.
Tohru has lived through quite a few grim situations, and Kyo wanted to ensure she gave herself the time to process these heartbreaking events. She is a shining light of joy to those around her, but it is important that she cares for herself in the same way. By expressing this sentiment to Tohru, Kyo proved how deep his love for her is, as well as his desire for her to be just as happy as she makes others.
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4 "I Don’t Think There Are Any Memories That Are Okay To Forget. None. I Think…. I Want To Live With All My Memories. Even If They’re Sad Memories."
Spoken by Momiji Soma
Momiji Soma is an underrated Fruits Basket character with a lot of fantastic life advice to share. In this line, he emphasizes the importance of cherishing and learning from all of life's memories, both the good and the bad. As a member of the Soma family, Momiji's zodiac animals curse has undoubtedly caused problems in his life.
For example, Momiji was abandoned by his family and not allowed contact with his sister, leaving him with a decidedly unhappy memory. However, Momiji will not let himself forget even these unpleasant memories. Every last one of his experiences is a part of him, shaping his life and the person he has grown into.
3 "It’s Okay To Feel Weak Sometimes. It’s Okay To Be Afraid. The Important Thing Is That We Face Our Fears. That’s... That’s What Makes Us Strong.”
Spoken by Yuki Soma
In one of Yuki's best quotes, he elaborates on the importance of taking action, even in the face of fear. At the beginning of Fruits Basket, Yuki was shy and insecure, despite his positive reputation. He had to work hard to become more outgoing and proud of himself.
Even though he was terrified, he accomplished his most difficult action of all: standing up to Akito, the Soma family head who had abused him for years. Yuki lives by this line he spoke, putting himself out there despite difficulty. Even when his worries seemed all-encompassing, he still exhibited a willingness to move forward, not letting fear stop him.
2 "My Newfound Freedom Does Make Me Lonely, but My Happiness May Be Waiting for Me Just Down the Road. I’m Finally Going To Start Walking Down a Path of My Own Choosing."
Spoken by Momiji Soma
At the end of Fruits Basket, the Soma curse was broken. This allowed the family members to begin living normal lives and making their own choices, no longer bound by the zodiac animals curse. Momiji was excited by the new possibilities this allowed, but, at the same time, mourned some elements of his old life he had to leave behind.
Momiji had developed romantic feelings for Tohru, but confronted the reality that he would never be with her, since she and Kyo love one another. Without Tohru or the rest of the Somas by his side, he was lonely for a while, as he admits in this bittersweet quote. However, Momiji wound up happy in life, making his own way, growing close to his sister, Momo, and starting a family of his own.
1 "Loving Someone Isn’t Simple. It’s Embracing Their Yesterdays and Tomorrows, Not Just Loving the Person Today."
Spoken by Kyo Soma
Kyo Soma was reserved and prone to lashing out before he met Tohru. With her unconditional kindness and effort to understand him, she broke down the walls he built around his heart. The two fell for each other quickly, before either of them realized what was happening.
In this gorgeous quote, Kyo explains how to properly love someone fully. He certainly puts this line into practice, loving Tohru for her past, present, and future. Kyo and Tohru's gentle and unfailing love for one another is moving to watch and highlights why they are Fruit Basket's best and most popular couple.
Fruits Basket (2019)
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Drama
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Fruits Basket (2019) is an anime adaptation following Tohru Honda, a high school girl who ends up living with the mysterious Sohma family. She discovers that twelve members of the Sohma clan are cursed to transform into animals of the Chinese zodiac when embraced by the opposite sex. The series delves into the lives and challenges faced by the cursed members while exploring themes of acceptance, friendship, and personal growth.
- Cast
- Laura Bailey , Eric Vale , Jerry Jewell , John Burgmeier , Elizabeth Maxwell , Mikaela Krantz , Colleen Clinkenbeard
- Release Date
- April 6, 2019
- Seasons
- 3
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
- Franchise(s)
- Fruits Basket
- Writers
- Natsuki Takaya
- Directors
- Yoshihide Ibata
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Creator(s)
- Yûichirô Kido , Natsuki Takaya
