Name:
Shigure Sohma
Name:
Shigure Sohma
Alias(es):
Zodiac Animal: Dog
Age: 27-28
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'9" (or 5'10"... conflicting reports)
Weight: 151lbs
Blood Type: AB
Family: The Sohma family, Yuki and Kyo live with him, and he's especially close to Ayame and Hatori.
Status: Cursed, novelist
Quote:
Anime: Fruits Basket
Voice: (English) John Burgmeier (Japanese) Ryoutarou Okaiyu
History and Personality: Shigure is one of the oldest cursed members of the Sohma family, and privy to many of the family's darker secrets. He transforms into the dog of the Chinese Zodiac whenever he is hugged by the opposite gender or his body comes under a great deal of stress.
Shigure is laid-back and anything but solemn. He is somewhat of a pervert, and as a writer of both romance novels and academic books, Shigure loves to drive his editor, Mitchan, insane. His most famous and well-celebrated pen name is Karitani Noa, which he usually uses for his romance novels, such as 'Summer-Colored Sigh,' which he showed to Saki Hanajima. Despite his annoying and often perverted habits Shigure can be quite kind and selfless when the mood strikes him, and in the anime often does things for others without them realizing it. Most of the time he just teases them though.
Shigure's best friends are Hatori Sohma and Ayame Sohma. This trio has been friends since their childhood. Together their nickname is the Mabudachi Trio. While Ayame and Shigure get along very well, it's less certain how Hatori, who is always exasperated with them, became their friend. Shigure also seems to be 'closer' to Akito than most other members of the family, with the exception of Hatori who is Akito's doctor. He is the only one trusted to live on his own and is the least affected by Akito's threats.
Occasionally, Shigure shows that he has another side to himself. He can be surprisingly mature, thoughtful, and gives rather sage and insightful advice to Tohru, Kyo, Yuki, and other characters, acting like an actual "adult". Few people realize that he is also quite cunning and somewhat dark-humored. It is speculated that Shigure is actually using Tohru Honda to break the Sohma curse.
In chapter 130, he is freed from the curse.
In the manga Shigure is a far darker character. He is manipulative and none of his relationships seem to be very genuine. He previously dated Mayuko Shiraki (Tohru, Yuki, Kyo, Uotani and Hanajima's classroom teacher), though nothing came of it and the relationship began probably because he pitied Mayuko's loneliness. He continues to antagonize her by appearing and interfering with her life, even though his machinations have brought her closer to Hatori Sohma, for whom she has strong feelings. It appears he might have had a sliver of a relationship with Rin Sohma. Mayuko (the 'mangaka' - essentially the creator of the manga) could have hinted that in the character page in the thirteenth manga novel saying Rin had the "hots for Shigure" or something similar. It is later revealed that Rin's interest in Shigure stemmed from her belief that he knew how to break the curse; she had offered to give him free use of her body in exchange for that knowledge to free Hatsuharu from his curse. Shigure rejected the notion, though Rin remained suspicious and continued to snoop around his house. He is also noted for having an affair with Ren Sohma, Akito Sohma's mother, on the basis that Akito had chosen Kureno Sohma over Shigure. Akito, who is actually revealed to be female in the manga ( though Akito is clearly male in the anime, due to the fact that the manga had not yet reached the point of the gender revelation), became angry that he would have an affair with the person she hated most (her mother) and kicked him out of the main house. In truth, it appears that Shigure actually loves Akito and has since they were both very young. His manipulations not only appear to be for the purpose of breaking the Jyunishi curse, but also to get closer to Akito. Shigure also states that he slept with Akito's mother, Ren, because she looked like what Akito could have been, had she been raised as a woman. He was one of the few who knew Akito was female all along.
Relationships: Shigure has been close to Ayame and Hatori for almost his entire life. He tends to egg Ayame on in his antics, but knows to call Hatori when things get out of hand. He seems to rely on Hatori to get him out of trouble, but he isn't just using his more responsible cousin. One gets the impression that he's trying to lighten Hatori up. Shigure and Ayame are both concerned that Hatori has never gotten over his lost love, and are determined to help him move on. They seem to think pestering him is the best way to do this. Shigure and Hatori seem to understand one another very well, and even though they are practically polar opposites they understand the way each other's minds work. Occasionally Hatori uses this talent to spoil Shigure's fun - something Shigure points out that Hatori is always trying to do.
Shigure seems to be closer to the younger sets of Sohmas than the rest of his age group. He convinces Akito to let Yuki stay with him, and later takes in Kyo as well. He enjoys ribbing the two boys, and he finds their reactions amusing, but he does seem to be truly concerned for them as well.
Though in the manga it is speculated that Shigure is merely using Tohru to break the curse (presumably to save Akito, on whom the heaviest burden lies), in the anime he seems to truly have a fondness for her. He enjoys teasing her, though she is so dense that she does not catch on, and it is likely he does it for the sole purpose of angering Kyo and Yuki with his inappropriate remarks.
Trivia: In the manga Haru calls Shigure 'sensei' as pat of a deal they have.
Shigure usually finishes his novels well before the deadline, but he always hides them and pretends he hasn't done them just to torment his editor. Amusingly she never seems to figure this pattern out, even though he always hands her the finished manuscript at the very end of the deadline date.
Why we love him: ...We need help? In the anime Shigure is a welcome source of laughter in a very dark story. It's nice to see someone who's life has not been made utterly miserable by the curse, and Shigure, though not always appropriate, is amusing. He's genuinely happy and wants his friends to be happy as well. I haven't read the manga, so I'm not sure I'd like him in that since his personality seems to be so different.
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