Fruits Basket Reveals New Zodiac Addition

The recent iteration of Fruits Basket has done a great job of not just sticking more closely to the manga that inspired it, but also introducing new characters that fans hadn’t seen brought to life via animation before. Now, a new visual design confirms that the “horse zodiac” will in fact be making an appearance in the future episodes of the recent resurrection of the franchise. Considering how closely the anime has managed to stick to the manga so far, expect the character of “Rin” to appear as she did so long ago in the printed interpretation of the story.

Twitter User PKJD8I8 shared the first look at the visual design for Isuzu Sohma, whose curse has her transforming into a horse whenever they she is hugged by someone of the opposite sex, and does a fantastic job of bringing the original interpretation of the character from the manga to a new medium:

Rin dealt with a tragic past, leaning into the cold, stoic demeanor of the very zodiac symbol that she is now known for. Originally being abandoned by her parents due to their inability to deal with her curse, Isuzu had to live a life where finding companionship and love was a difficult task. Though prior to the start of the series, she had been in a relationship with Hatsuharu, she enters into the anime proper with no relationship to speak of.

What do you think of the design for Isuzu Sohma, the Horse Zodiac of Fruits Basket? What other characters would you like to see appear in this latest interpretation that have yet to make their debut in an anime proper? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and people that can transform into horses!

Fruits Basket was originally created by Natsuki Takaya for Hakusensha’s Han to Yume magazine in 1998. The series follows a sweet, young, orphaned girl named Tohru Honda who ends up living with a few members of the mysterious Sohma clan when shenanigans ensue. Things get out of control when Tohru learns the family has been cursed to transform into zodiac animals whenever they are hugged by someone of the opposite sex. Sworn to secrecy, Tohru decides to help break the cyclical curse, and the girl falls in love with a special someone along the way. Fruits Basket will even be returning with three new manga chapters later this year from original creator Natsuki Takaya as well.