

In Fruits Basket, different characters represent different zodiac symbols that
they then turn into when they are hugged by someone of the opposite gender.
What determines what zodiac a person represents? Is it the year they are born
in? If so, what determines who becomes the cat? Additionally, does that mean
that every cursed Sohma is born in a different year (discounting Akito)?


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2013-03-29T20:57:00.790
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fruits-basket
What determines what zodiac a person represents?


It is never explained what makes some Sohma born with the curse and some not
and what animal they represent. The only rules seem to be that only one person
can have an animal's the curse at a time and they must be part of the Sohma
clan. The current condition where all animals are represented at the same time
is rare.

Although some of the years do potentially match up (Ex. Shigure can be year of
the dog 1982 and Tohru can be year of the dog as well in 1994, Ox is a year
younger than the Rat, the Snake and the Dragon are close together), the year
of birth isn't the single determining factor, since the ages don't match for
all the zodiac members. (Ex. Momiji is the same age as Hatsuharu and slightly
older than Kisa.)


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2013-04-01T23:33:29.080
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Considering the shock and revulsion Sohma parents are often met with upon
finding their child to be of the Zodiac, it is highly probable that it is
completely random, or at the very least, nobody has determined a reliable
method for predicting it. What we do know from some characters' dialogue is
that it is rare for all of the Zodiac to be around at the same time.

From <https://fruitsbasket.fandom.com/wiki/Sohma_Curse> :

> Shigure has many theories about the weakening state of the curse and has
> stated throughout the series that he hears the sound of “something
> breaking”. He also had a feeling that since the current generation is the
> first time all twelve members of the Zodiac (including the Cat and God) are
> alive at the same time, the God and the animals are all gathered for the
> final banquet.

And the year definitely does not determine which Zodiac spirit will be born,
because most of the casts' birth years don't match up with their curse.

We also know from the origin story of the curse that the animals are bonded to
the god, and they are all bound to reincarnate together. Hence, I don't think
this question makes as much sense as it seems. Rather than saying a person
determines what Zodiac they get, I think it makes more sense to say that the
Zodiac determines (partly) what kind of person they will be, since the Zodiac
soul existed first.

> Though since the curse broke and the Zodiac spirits moved on, it can be
> definitively said that those possessed have independent souls of their own.
> Still, the point remains: the Zodiac spirits came first, not the Sohmas.
> They're Zodiac from birth, but the criteria can't be related to the
> qualities of a person who has not been born.

So, what determines which animal? There is just one qualification, and that is
being born in the Sohma family. Everything else is up to chance.


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