Tohru Honda

Tohru Honda is the main protagonist of the Fruits Basket anime (both the 2001 version and the 2019 reboot, though the latter is more faithful to the overall story).

She's a cheerful, optimistic high school girl who becomes orphaned after her mother's death in a car accident. Determined to be independent and not burden her grandfather, she initially lives in a tent on some land—only to discover it's owned by the Sohma family. After accidentally stumbling into their secret (the Chinese zodiac curse that transforms certain family members into animals when hugged by the opposite sex), she ends up living with Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo Sohma in exchange for doing housework.

Tohru is extremely kind-hearted, polite, selfless, and nurturing, always seeing the good in people and putting others' needs before her own. She's empathetic, patient, and quick to offer unconditional support, which helps many of the troubled Sohma family members open up and heal from their emotional wounds. At the same time, she's a bit airheaded, naïve, clumsy (often triggering the zodiac transformations by accident), and overly formal in her speech sometimes. Despite her hardships, she maintains a positive, hardworking attitude and treasures her memories of her late mother deeply.

In the anime adaptations, her gentle and accepting nature shines through as the emotional core driving much of the story's healing and relationships.