For those looking for a shoujo with romance, humor, and sadness all wrapped together, then Fruits Basket might just be the perfect one. It features the kind-hearted Tohru Honda, as she discovers the Sohma family who has been afflicted by a curse that forces them to turn into animals from the Chinese zodiac whenever they're hugged by a member of the opposite gender.
While that is the main and most well-known aspect of the Sohma curse, there's more to it than being turned into an animal. The curse has a lot of layers, some of which are just barely touched upon while others go far deeper and have been a recurring element to it for generations.
10 TWO MONTHS PREMATURE
There's a certain bond that connects all members of the Sohma family that are affected by the curse, it's something of a recurring theme throughout the series and when studying the Sohma curse itself. That being said, there signs when someone is going to be possessed by one of the zodiac signs.
Surprisingly, one sign can be called rather early, upon the family members' birth to be exact. A Sohma who is the next in line to be cursed is born two months prematurely. Everyone who's afflicted by the curse always ends up being born in this way.
9 HEALTH PLAYS A FACTOR
While the most common way for the Sohmas to be transformed is being hugged by a member of the opposite sex, they can transform into their animal forms in other ways too. Stress can, both physical and emotional, can affect the human body in a number of ways. For the Sohmas, the physical stress takes on new meaning for them.
If a Sohma is feeling ill, then they could transform into the animal form without being the usual contact method. This also applies to exhaustion and even when lacking breath too.
8 THE SOHMAS CAN TALK TO ANIMALS (SOMEWHAT)
On top of their bonds with their cursed family members, the Sohmas share a certain bond to animals, aside from just being able to turn into them. Each member of the Sohma family can attract their respective animal to them and they can even communicate with them.
While this is never depicted by them literally talking to the animal, it's clear they can understand their respective Sohma, in some way. The animals can even be directed by a member of the Sohma family and used to assist them for whatever purpose. For example, Yuki was able to get rats to dig out Tohru's tent near the beginning.
7 THE REASON ZODIAC MEMBERS CAN HUG IS UNEXPLAINED
Very early on in the series, it's revealed that Sohmas of opposite genders that are possessed by a zodiac spirit are able to hug without either one being transformed into an animal, as seen by how Kagura is able to with Kyo (whether he likes it or not). Though the reason why they can do this isn't actually stated at any point.
While is an accepted fact of the curse's nature, there's no explanation at any point in the series. Theoretically, one could say that it's due to the bonds that bind the Sohmas tied into the curse's origin, but no such confirmation has been given on whether that's true or it's something entirely different. The nature behind this part of the curse goes unexplained from start to finish.
6 INHERITANCE BY DEATH
There can only be one Sohma possessed by a specific zodiac spirit at a time which is why there are never two of the same animal. Until a member of the Sohma family that is afflicted by the curse passes away, another cursed Sohma will not be born.
The best example of this was the cat before Kyo, Kazuma's grandfather, who passed away and allowed for Kyo to become the cat. Essentially the zodiac spirits are always inherited through death, and only one of each can exist at a time.
5 THE BOND WITH GOD
Along with the twelve animals of the zodiac, plus the cat, there is one more afflicted by the curse, the one that inherits the mantle of "God". Akito (the current god) is the very center of the curse, all the other Sohmas are directly tied to Akito and that connection is intense.
While it is possible, it's difficult for the others to truly defy Akito, since the curse gives the family intense feelings of fear and respect. Because of this being rejected by Akito can cause others pain and suffering. The bond is even strong enough to give the other Sohmas visions just as the "god" is conceived, as evidence by Kureno's dream.
4 THE WEAKENING OF THE CURSE
Though it has persisted for a long time, the Sohma curse is not invincible. Over time, the curse was weakening, little by little, to the point where Kureno was freed from the curse on its own. The bond itself was said to be "unnatural", which is why it began to fall apart.
Other signs that indicated this tied into the animal spirits themselves, Hatori would transform into a seahorse instead of a dragon and Kureno would become a sparrow instead of a rooster. Why it persists anyway, despite the signs that it will not last forever, is directly tied to Akito having the most control over it.
3 THE PROMISE
The entire foundation for the Sohma curse was not of malicious intent, far from it in all honesty. It all started with a lonely man ("God") who one day met and became friends with a cat. Yearning for more friends, the man held a banquet and intended to have his friends with him forever, thus the curse was created.
It was meant to keep their bonds of friendship for eternity, having the zodiac spirits be reborn over and over. While this ended up causing years upon years of suffering, it was only made with the intent for an everlasting friendship.
2 MOMIJI AND HIRO'S CURSE
As previously stated, the Sohma curse was already falling apart due to time. While Akito had a strong grip on the Sohmas still afflicted by the curse, that was still not enough to keep everyone from being freed. Kureno was the first, but after him, Momiji and Hiro's curse broke next.
While the other zodiac members were more or less freed from the curse at the same time, Momiji and Hiro were freed of it much earlier. However, the reasons why go unexplained, so it's unknown it broke the same way Kureno's did or if something else influenced it.
1 FORESIGHT OF THE CAT
At the very beginning of the story, Tohru is told of how the cat was excluded from the zodiac, by being tricked by the rat into not attending the banquet. As such, Kyo and anyone possessed by the cat spirit, has always been an outcast and the one most tortured by the curse. However, that story is not why the cat suffers this fate.
While "God" planned for the Sohma curse to have the bond between him and all his animal friends last forever, the cat didn't see it that way. That cat saw the unintended consequences the curse would bring upon them and anyone who was under this curse. However, none of them had the same foresight and saw this as the cat's betrayal. This misunderstanding would lead to the abuse anyone possessed by the cat would suffer through.