Fruits Basket is the story of Tohru Honda's quest to heal the cursed Sohma family, but if it were told all over again, Kyo Sohma could have been the star. Among all the Sohmas, he has the most baggage and the most to gain, and that makes him remarkably similar to Naruto Uzumaki of Naruto fame.
Although Fruits Basket is a classic shojo title and Naruto is a shonen series to the bone, Kyo Sohma and Naruto Uzumaki actually have a lot in common, proving that some character archetypes and personal quests transcend the division of genre and format.
Kyo Sohma & Naruto Uzumaki Both Face Their Demons
Kyo Sohma's personal arc was the most prominent among the Sohmas in Fruits Basket, having him face inner and outer demons that not even his cousin/rival Yuki does. All of the Sohmas of the zodiac are cursed with animal spirits, but Kyo's, the rejected cat spirit, made him a tragic figure even among the Sohmas. He was born with this spirit and will die with it, making him a hated and feared outcast, even in that family.
Kyo struggled mightily in Fruits Basket to overcome this prejudice and make something of himself -- to have an identity that is not simply based on the cat curse and family politics. His true cat-spirit form was a true monster, and he also faced verbal and emotional abuse from Akito Sohma, the family head. One of Kyo's greatest challenges was to overcome his fear of Akito and break free.
This is a clear parallel to Naruto Uzumaki, who had had the Nine-Tailed fox Kurama sealed inside him when he was still an infant. He grew up feared and isolated from the rest of the Hidden Leaf Village and didn't even know why. This rejection and discrimination prompted Naruto to dream of becoming Hokage so he could earn everyone's respect and serve as a great leader and defender.
Hokage is an appealing title for practically any ambitious ninja, but for Naruto, it's more personal than that. Growing up, he struggled to not internalize the fear and hate surrounding him, similar to Akito's verbal abuse of Kyo Sohma. Kyo was seen as a monster by one person; Naruto was seen that way by almost everyone.
How Kyo & Naruto Find A Ray Of Hope
Fortunately for both boys, allies and lovers are right around the corner. Even Kyo's own parents hated him, which is a sore topic for him, but Kazuma Sohma accepted Kyo for who and what he was, without question. Kazuma became Kyo's real father figure as the two were close. Until Tohru Honda came along, Kazuma was Kyo's best friend and ally, and that helped sustain him. Then, the main story of Fruits Basket kicked off with Tohru and Kyo meeting and becoming friends, then lovers. Tohru had incredible strength of spirit and compassion, and she, like Kazuma, accepted Kyo for who and what he was, even when Kyo saw himself as a monster. Even Kyo's bitter rival, the princely Yuki Sohma, slowly became an ally and friendly rival rather than a threat.
Naruto Uzumaki had similar experiences in the shonen world. He had Iruma Umino as a substitute father of sorts and then Kakashi Hatake assumed that role while Sasuke Uchiha went from Naruto's unfriendly rival to his good friend. Naruto later found love in Hinata Hyuga, whose deep admiration of him became clearer as the story went. It's true that Hinata derived more strength from this than Naruto did, but the parallel with Kyo/Tohru is still clear, and both sets of characters ended up married in the end. And, of course, Naruto won the respect of his fellow villagers and became the Seventh Hokage.
All this proves that the quest for validation and self-determination is a universal one, and although it's told with different styles in Fruits Basket and Naruto -- shojo vs. shonen -- the core is the same, and it's a theme that any viewer can relate to. Everyone deserves a chance to become who they were meant to be, and no outside discrimination or internal doubts or fears should ever get in the way.
