Ritsu Sohma

The Monkey

Ritsu Sohma, aged 21–22, is the monkey of the Chinese zodiac. He is depicted as a beautiful but unstable young man with very low self-esteem and a tendency to overreact. He apologizes frantically for everything, even things that are not his fault.In this, he takes after his mother,the hostess of the Sohma family’s onsen,whose position he is in training to take over.Ritsu dresses in women’s clothing because he says he then feels less pressure from society, and is initially mistaken for a woman by Tohru Honda because of his long hair and beauty.Most Sohmas call him “Rit-chan” and, to Shigure’s amusement, Tohru calls him “Rit-chan-san”. Shigure likes to play with Ritsu’s insecurities and gullibility, much as he does his editor, Mitsuru; when the two meet, they realize they have this in common.In the final chapter of the manga, Ritsu tells Kagura, while giving her one of his women’s kimonos, that he has asked Mitsuru on a date,and in a bonus story in the first fan-book, he and Mitsuru are a couple.Natsuki Takaya derived his name from the eighth month, odakaritsuki or “rice harvest month,” which is the month of the monkey, of the traditional Japanese calendar.In an author’s note, Takaya said that she regretted how little role Ritsu played in the main story.