What Fruits Basket Teaches Us About Abusive Relationships

Fruits Basket’s Zodiac curse sounds pretty silly when you first hear it: if a cursed person is hugged by a member of the opposite sex, they’ll temporarily transform into an animal. It seems like the perfect set-up for a wacky comedy, and the first few arcs of the story treat it that way. But once you think about it on a deeper level, it becomes clear that the curse prevents its members from forming any kind of intimacy with other people—from casual friends to even their own parents. And at the center of it all is the Zodiac’s “God”, Akito, whose iron grip on the Sohma family quashes any attempt at freedom with gaslighting and fits of rage.

Today, we’re going to explore how the Zodiac curse reflects toxic and abusive relationships in real life. How did the relationship start, and what can possibly be done to escape from it? Let’s take a closer look.

This article was written for Honey’s Anime, so please read it on their site.