Tohru Honda: The quiet strength at the heart of Fruits Basket

Tohru Honda from Fruits Basket is one character who has left a lasting impression on my life. At first glance, she seems to be an extremely gentle character for a world that is not ready for all the goodness. But the more I watched the show, I realized that her kindness is not a bad thing; rather, it is her greatest strength.

The anime has intertwined her life with the Soma family, where each family member had to fight their own emotional battles. Even if it looks like they are a happy family from the outside, they are all dealing with the family curse and self-hate and are not content with the way their lives have been handled.

This is where Tohru makes an entrance; she is just a simple girl with no superpowers. She enters with compassion. She listens. She stays. And somehow, with nothing but her quiet empathy, she manages to change everything.

In my opinion, she is one of the most compassionate characters in the history of anime. The first time she made an entrance into Fruits Basket, Tohru had nothing. She had no parents and did not want to burden anyone with her misfortunes, so she decided to live in a tent.

She could have given in to despair, but she rose against all the adversities. She worked part-time jobs. She studied hard. And she still made time to be the emotional support system for her friends. This kind of strong emotional stability and resiliency is what makes her stand out the most.

The Fruits Basket anime community has often critiqued her for being a pushover. But those who feel this about her have entirely missed the point about her character. She has never been weak. Tohru just has her unique way of fighting back.

When a character tries to emotionally distance herself, she never forces herself into their emotional space. Rather, she offers patience and lets others open up to her when they feel like it. In Fruits Basket, she is one character who never wants to fix the Soma family.

How Fruits Basket also ensured that her grief was not sidelined

One of the most quietly devastating parts of Fruits Basket is Tohru’s grief over her mother's death. Unlike many anime where a parent’s death becomes a forgotten backstory point, Kyoko Honda’s presence lingers in every part of Tohru’s life.

From her internal monologues to the way she lives her life, it’s clear that her mother’s absence still aches. But she has never allowed her sadness to define her worth. She worked to ensure she lived a life her parents would be proud of.

It sounds like a simple task, but to imagine a school-going child enduring such tragedy and still maintaining her humanity is truly inspiring. Tohru reminded me that it’s okay to grieve and still be full of love. That pain and hope can coexist. That we don’t need to “move on” to move forward.

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Final thoughts

Tohru Honda in Fruits Basket has proved that one does not have to be a loud character to be heard. Throughout the story, she has only offered patience and unconditional love to others around her. While it did take time for most of the characters to leave their shell and start their healing journey, she supported them all. I feel that as the audience, we are lucky to witness such a character who inspires everyone to never stop being kind, as everyone is fighting unspoken battles.

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