Fruits Basket Akito [a spoiler thread]

Of all the mysteries in Fruits Basket that are still left unexplained, the one that picks at my mind the most is Akito. I have seen all but one episode (the very last one) and my questions reguarding Akito are still not answered. For example:

Is Akito a member of the Zodiac?

What made him the way he is? Is he just power hungry?

Why is he so overprotective of all the members of the zodiac? I understand the predicament that they're in, but what about Hatori and Kanna? Akito's actions were uncalled for.

Why is he obsessed with Yuki (and why did he beat him), and why did he spare Tohru from the memory wipe?

Why is he always ill? Is his constant sickness also a part of the curse?

Are any of these questions answered in the Manga? Judging from the topic a few lines below, I can guess that the Manga hasn't been released in America yet.

If anyone can answer any of these questions, it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,

Arana

 

Akito

well the reason why Akito is always sick is besause of the curse. Hes dieng from it and all. He is not a zodiac boy, hes just regular angry Akito. The reason why he usually beats people up is because they are i ,ove an since he isnt happy he doesnt want any one else to be (hes a relly angry guy). Ok and now ive forgotten what the other questions were so ill post that later....i would give u more info but it would be a big spoiler on the ending.

 

I read somewhere that Akito might be god... You know, from the zodiac story? I don't necessarily believe it but it's a pretty amusing concept so I thought I'd say. Personally, I think Akito's in love with Yuki... or something... I never understood how to curse tied in with Akito's being sick - -; Does anyone have a clue? And I think I can agree with hatsuharufan about his not being able to stand the others of the souma family being happier than him... but why not pick on the ones that are suffering a lot less than the cursed ones? Or does that tie in with Kana? Ahhhh I thought I had the Akito thing right up there in my head but nothing makes sense to me anymore... hahahha

 

im not sure but...

I think that the reason hes always sick is because theres always one person dieng for them. I think its so everyone can still be animals, i read that somewhere. I know that if they all rebel against Akito the curse will be broken. I dunno thats my guess.

 

I'm kind of confused =\ why would they want the ability to be animals? Would it be like, if the cursed people didn't turn into animals they'd die? Or maybe Akito's sick because his sickness gives the cursed ones the ability to go back to human? Hahha mmkay, I'm really off... -_-; Is there anything in the manga about this?

 

********SPOILERS****************





The idea of Akito as "god" in the zodiac story isn't too far off, actually. According to the wonderful onigiri site:

Everybody is uncertain what Akito's "juunishi curse" may be, but there are plenty of rumors that he is cursed as the "god" of the juunishi story because of how it is known that he "carries the full weight of the curse upon him." Why pity the rest of the cursed Soumas when he has to die for their sake?

The curse apparently causes his constant illness, too, though I can't be sure why, exactly. It is mentioned that he tortures the others so that he will be remembered when he dies.

 

Yeah... I was wondering about that... I mean, what's the big deal about Akito dying? When he dies, does the curse end, or what?

 

i started this same conversation at my forum too, they said its cuz hes the god? but i want more info? why is he dying? from what?
love,
shannon :blush:

 

You guys have pretty much everything there is so far about akito. I'll try to translate the manga and tell you if there is anything new technically he is dying because of the curse. he does hate those that love when he can't because he knows he will die and he totures them...I have no clue why.

 

I think that akito is just a person in charge of the cursed ones... however, he is NOT kami sama, but instead a person who made a deal with it.

 

Akito was told on the day that he was born that he was destined to die. Who hears that and can smile and laugh whole heartedly? Obviously I would probably turn out like him...wel maybe not. He can't stand the fact that while everyone else is allowed to live he is not. His word is law and because he has to carry the weight of the family curse, he's most often sickly. The Sohma family fear him and so in a sense he's kinda lonely...

 

Well said. Akito is the head of the sohma family and he has to deal with all the sohma family stuff :dizzy: I think Akito is the part of god it the Zodiac story but thats me and i haven't see or read all the story yet.

 

Well, since the beginning of February, the manga is out in English. Of course this is only the first volume, so it doesn't get into Akito's background.

As I understand, Akito represents the Jade Emperor (aka God). This may put it into perspective.

I don't understand the connection between the curse and his death, but the manga will get into this later.

 

He spared Tohru because he wanted everyone to suffer, just like Kana and Hatori. He wanted Yuki and Kyo to feel that pain. And everyone else who had gotten attached to her. Also, he beats Yuki, because he expects Yuki to be perfect, and basically, just because he can. I mean, he beats everybody. Not like Yuki was the only one. o_0 He freakin beat Kisa. Also, I think that everyone kinda obeys him in order to thank him for dying for them. He in turn abuses them, to kind of get his revenge.

 

We~e~ell... Having just seen Fruits Basket (finally), I think perhaps I'll offer my half-formed thesis. (Sorry about bringing back a thread that's been silent for a few months, though.)

I don't know about Akito's role in the Zodiac - but I can, at the very least, expound on his psychology. It's explained that he bears the "core" of the curse, and that's what causes his frequent illness, and will eventually result in his premature death. He was chosen for the role at or before birth and had no say in the matter. In exchange for taking that role, it seems the other Sohmas obey his word as law - to make it "fair," in a sense, that he has to suffer.

Akito's apparent sadism looks like the result of bitterness, to me. I think he feels wronged, and lonely, and is taking it out on everyone by making them suffer as much as possible - by breaking lovers apart, by inspiring fear, by trying to control everything as much as possible because he doesn't have control of his own fate. This, of course, distances him from the people who might give him comfort, if they could, and just makes things worse.

Also, this is something which I've heard second-hand...

Spoiler: FruBa Manga: Akito

Akito, supposedly, is actually a girl.

Like I said, though, I've only just finished the anime today, so I don't know anything more specific.

 

You keep calling Akito "he" or "him"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~SPOILER~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Akito Sohma in fact is not a man...He is in fact...A woman...

I have a manga scan saved on my computer, where Akito is looking at herself in a mirror. If you look at the reflection, you will see unmistakably...breasts coming from her chest...Therefore...Akito is in fact...a woman...Her mother Ren [not Rin] raised her to be a man...[for some unknown reason at the moment] If you have any opinions or comments regarding thus ^.~ Email me at WolfinBard@aol.com ^.~

 

-_- Yes, thank you, ShiguresRose. If you'd actually read the posts, you'd have seen that I already mentioned that fact, in *gasp* spoiler tags.

Also, I think it's perfectly justifiable to continue to refer to anime-Akito as most people have been, regardless of the manga. Why? Because unless a second season of FruBa is animated (which seems doubtful), that revelation will never be applicable to the anime characters at all. Furthermore, in the anime, Akito is pretty easily identifiable as male - his voice is just a little too deep to really be androgynous, and his clothes make no secret of how flat his chest is.

Spoiler: More in-depth assessment of Akito

It's possible, of course, for a woman's chest to be bound. However, we see enough of anime-Akito's chest when he's wearing a loose kimono that I'd say there was no binding going on there. The opening was low enough that it would have shown the cloth strip.

The second possibility that I've heard is that Akito is flat-chested because s/he's in such poor health. That one actually made me stop and think for a minute. It's true - if you grow up being very sick very often, it can impact the body's development. However, I've seen the manga scan of Akito looking at herself in the mirror, and that woman is NOT an A-cup.

So all things considered, I would say that while Akito is undeniably female in the manga, there's a bit more room for personal interpretation with the anime. *shrug*

 

As this is probably spoilerific (even though it has already been mentioned more than once....)

Spoiler: Akito Souma

Unless there's a different version of the picture going around, we don't have any real context for the revelation of Akito's...true gender. Personally, I think that it's much more likely that Akito is actually a hermaphrodite.

There is prior basis for this in Japanese mythology. Kannon (aka Kanzeon Bosatsu) is depicted as male, female, or both depending on the situation. In the series Saiyuki Kanzeon is a hermaphrodite.

To know for sure I'd need the whole scene, or at the very least the entire page. Of course, there's no guarantee that it's fully explained, but...at least we'd have context.

~Shadrach Anki

 

Spoiler: More Akito

Well, the image I've seen is several pages, in which we see Akito looking at herself (hirself?) in the mirror, with the open front of her kimono revealing a good deal of very obviously feminine cleavage. The translations I've seen include dialogue from the zodiac's Rooster, whose name I can never remember - the translator claimed he specifically refers to Akito at one point as "that girl," accompanying a flash-back image of a considerably younger Akito who seems to be crying in his lap.

That aside, I'm inclined to favor the hermaphrodite idea myself, until more explanation is given concerning Akito's unusual circumstances. Aside from the mythology - and the fan theory that Akito represents God from the story of the zodiac - it would also make sense for Akito to be dual-gendered or genderless because of some connection to whatever odd facet of the curse makes the possessed individuals transform when hugged by someone of the opposite sex. As far as I know, the reason for that to happen has never actually been expained, so...

I'll see if I can find the page scans again. The actual translation I saw was posted in an LJ entry along with the images.

 

WOAH!!! ....I never noticed that..!!!!...Oh and to the Akito thing, like a couple of you said how Akito has the full burden of the curse apon him...er her...thats probaly what makes him (her?) so angry at the other zodiac members, because they dont have to be sick or die, that they are happy, and Akito probaly feels isolated from everybody else, so he(she) takes out all his(her) anger and frustration on everybody else because they arent in his(her) condition. Akito probaly thinks that they need to feel a little of his(her?) pain, and see what he (she) has to go through.