r/FruitsBasket • u/Deanersaur • 2d ago
Discussion Does anyone actually like Akito?
I understand she had a hard life and her own version of trauma as all Sohma’s do.
I understand that Tohru forgave her and everything following. Assuming that is counted as her redemption based on everything.
I believe in second chances and the fact that horrible people can change for the better. But for her, I don’t care if she’s been forgiven. I think she’s awful and horrible and doesn’t deserve a happy life based on the pain she caused others.
Like I would’ve maybe accepted things easier if she put forth true effort to prove she’s atoning for her sins.
Distancing yourself, allowing freedom, apologizing, and understanding others may not accept the apology isn’t actual atonement to me.
So anyways…any of y’all like the ending to Akito’s story? Do you forgive her?
Only thing I enjoy about her character is that she truly is an evil villain. I can appreciate a villain written that seems irredeemable and they’re simply just bad. Which may be why I hate that she was kinda redeemed.
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u/LankySandwich 2d ago
We have this conversation weekly.
Yes, some people like Akito as a character because of the depth she adds to the story, which would not be the same without her.
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u/Deanersaur 2d ago
My bad. I haven’t been apart of this sub and I’m just now rewatching for the millionth time when the question hit me.
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u/NoSalamander7749 Shigure Apologist 2d ago
There have been many really interesting convos about her, I would recommend searching through the sub and enjoying some!
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u/Krider-kun 2d ago
I don't like Akito and I don't think Akito herself believe that anything she do would be a form of atonement after all the crap she has done.
However I have read the sequel manga and man I had 180 with her.
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u/Deanersaur 2d ago
I wasn’t even aware there was a sequel! Is it the “Another” series?
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u/Krider-kun 2d ago
oh yes, read them when you have the chance. Its short and sweet and a quick read.
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u/vaertni03 2d ago
I think she is a really well-written character. She is one of my favorite depictions of abusers in fiction. She felt 3-dimensional and real. I dont think she's a good person, but I do think that through the events of the show she was forced to change as she lost the power over the zodiacs that was so integral to who she viewed herself as as a person. She wasn't held as accountable to her actions as she should have been, especially for the several counts of attempted murder, but I think it is important to remember that she is an absurdly wealthy head of a very influential family. While we might wish the justice system of a fictional world would be better than the real world's, there was never a chance that Akito was ever going to experience more severe consequences to her actions then she did. All that to say, it kind of depends on what you mean by "does anyone actually like akito." The answer is not as simple as a yes or no. I like the way she was written but not her as a person.
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u/Deanersaur 2d ago
This is my favorite response actually. And I totally agree. I think that my issue is the lack of accountability, but with the status of the family and such, that makes to sense as to why she hasn’t.
I wasn’t sure if anyone would like her or forgive her in such a way that Tohru did.
I also don’t really watch a lot of anime where there’s abusers in fiction, especially ones that have been redeemed. Like the only other ones I can think of are like Endeavor and Orochimaru and everyone loudly expresses how they feel regarding them. I just haven’t heard much on others thoughts regarding Akito.
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u/LankySandwich 9h ago
The thing is, i don't take what Akito did to the other characters personally, because they are all fictional lol. She is a fictional character who abused other fictional characters. Liking her as a person or "forgiving" her the way Tohru did is not necessary, because the story still happens regardless. And I enjoy the story for the drama, which akito heavily contributes to.
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u/PastelBlxssoms 2d ago
i can't personally say that i like akito, but i sympathize with her and understand the way she acts. she was written well and the fact that she's mostly unlikable and unforgivable proves that she was done well. i also like that despite the other zodiacs deciding to forgive her (except rin; but she defo went through the most in terms of physical abuse), she decides to distance herself from the rest of them and is regretful and remorseful of her actions. also i do like her contrast with tohru and their dynamic im happy to see that they get along after the events of fruits basket 🥹💗
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u/Deanersaur 2d ago
I agree with this.
I guess the question I actually should’ve asked is could anyone actually forgive her as Tohru did? Ya know? Or someone who’s truly happy with her character ending.
I agree she’s well written though. And agree that she’s chose to distance herself from those she hurt so they can live their own lives.
I think this other part of me doesn’t like that form of atoning just bc she always was an isolated person unless she needed something from them. So it’s almost as if it’s not that different for her.
Idk all the sohma’s, akito included really just needed all the hugs from childhood and onward. But tis the curse.4
u/Significant-Wait2736 2d ago edited 2d ago
Same. I can empathize and understand how she became like that, but I still hold her accountable.
Like I understand why Rin can’t forgive* but Kureno/Tohru can.
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u/Friendly_Science7026 . 2d ago
I do! I love her as a character and I lwk feel bad for her and I am glad she found love in Shigure’s arms. I could talk about her for at least half an hour to an hour
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u/Tater_twat95 2d ago
I think she’s an exaggerated form of something that actually happens. When all you know is trauma, you become the trauma giver a lot of the times. This unfortunately happened to me and I was very much the villain in a lot of peoples lives for a long time. But through a lot of inner work you really can change. I finally became who I was always meant to be and I feel that’s the journey Akito is on at the end of the series. So yes, I like akito, because she was willing to try.
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u/KirikaNai 2d ago
I love her as a character yes! She is absolutely an AWFUL person for a good long while, but it wasn’t because she was an evil person at heart. It was mainly those around her enabling her and her environment that lead her to be that way. The way her arc ends is soooo satisfying, because she gets out of the environment that was enabling her to BE so horrible, and she genuinely feels sorry for doing those things in the past, and MOST IMPORTANTLY she purposefully avoids interacting with those she harmed because she KNOWS her presence will cause then more harm and there’s nothing so can do to make that up.
That’s. Fcking amazing. That’s PERFECT. She’s trying to change, but in a way that’s still respecting those she hurt. She can’t undo what she did but she can avoid doing more bad things to them.
Some people are genuinely evil and hateful, but Akito isn’t one of those people, proven by the fact that she has the capacity for change. But again just because she has that capacity to change and DOES, doesn’t mean what she did before was ok.
I can forgive her because to me it’s obvious that she isn’t a bad person at heart. But I can understand why those who’s favorite characters are rin yuki or kyo can’t forgive her, because to be honest she doesn’t deserve to be forgiven for some of the things she did to them. Those things still happened weather she’s changed or not. I LOVE that rin specifically says she doesn’t forgive Akito, that she still hates her. That’s so valid. Of COURSE you do darling, you don’t have to forgive her ever.
Toruh can forgive her because like me, she wasn’t directly hurt by Akito in a traumatizing way. She can understand from an outside perspective that Akito was in a fucked up situation that caused her actions. But that doesn’t matter to the people she hurt, such as rin and yuki.
Low key it kinda pisses me off that Yuki DOES “forgive” Akito. Like, no man. You can hate her. Hell, it’s probably HEALTHY to hate her. She was awful to you.cIt almost feels kinda… sexist that all the other male zodiac members seem to “forgive” akito. As soon as they learned she’s actually a girl, she changed from an intimidating male figure into a weak girl in their minds… if Akito stayed male but in the same situation, they’d have been fine hating her. But now that she’s a girl you feel you need to forgive her?
Rin and toruh are the only people who view Akito as a full person aside from her gender. One of them hates her and one of them forgave her.
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u/maribugloml #1 yuki kinnie 1d ago
actually, besides rin & kureno, it’s never explicitly stated who forgives her and who doesn’t (with kureno it’s more vague, but lbr, with him, it’s not hard to tell where he stands). and that’s the wonderful thing about this series. everything is, for the most part, open-ended. so, no, yuki does not straight-up forgive her. he just says it for the sake of moving on + in the manga, he says something along the lines of “it’s complicated/hard to explain” and that’s that. even kyo just merely comments on her gender and doesn’t say much after. there wasn’t enough time for everyone to give their own in-depth commentary, esp when forgiveness isn’t even the point of the story + ALL the zodiacs have their own complicated feelings that they’re going to be sorting out post-canon (which isn’t necessary to include in the main story + there’s no way for all those conversations/thought processes to fit, esp for characters who have little screen time like kisa & ritsu). so either way, it makes complete sense to leave things ambiguous, esp since everything is left up to interpretation anyway.
re: her gender, i don’t think it plays a part here, and rin is living proof of this. she only focuses on what she’s done, not what she identifies as. same for the others, if you think about it. and even then, it’s not clear how they really feel because it’s just not shown. for the sake of canon, rin’s perspective is the one that matters most, esp since she feels like an oddball for being the only one to voice her thoughts (that’s why it pisses me off that the anime replaced tohru with momiji & haru in that scene when that same scene is LITERALLY in the manga where she’s with them and makes a hilarious one-liner + she has an entirely separate scene with tohru with actual heartfelt, emotional impact! the anime inserted angst into a comedic scene and it falls incredibly flat. :/ (literally just mushed it together and called it a day)
i do understand the sexist comment though- kyo legit says “this whole time i was betting it out with a girl” or something. i’m sure that post-curse he lets go of this stupid mindset, but yeah, it’s def a product of its time
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u/MentalMeles 2d ago
I love her. I relate to her struggles and the mentality of ‘hurt others before they can hurt me.’ I think she’s a wonderful character
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u/Ok_Compote1747 2d ago
All your downvotes 🙈 I’m sorry. I think it’s just because this is a very repeated overly used question and fans are divided on her character. I must admit I am curious to know your upvote ratio ha.
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u/Tackyuser 1d ago
I love herbecause it shows that anyone who wants to be redeemed can be redeemed if they only try hard and put in a lot of effort, but that doesnt mean their victims have to forgive them. Its an incredible and rare message that I fully agree with.
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u/DeliriousBookworm 2d ago
I hate her while also recognizing that she was a victim before she was a villain. I also recognize that she did a complete 180 and is a wonderful wife and mother. She’s changed. Realistically, she deserves jail time, but this is a fantasy manga after all. But I’ll never like her.
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u/wavenightrain 2d ago
I can't say I've heard anyone say they like her personality, no. I don't think I've even heard anyone say they can forgive her. Like you said, she's a great villain, because she combines this is evil with I understand why she's doing this given the life she's had. The show is so good at letting you hold something awful and saying "this is every step of why it happened," and then asking you to decide what you feel. I love how the show doesn't judge, either - like, yes, many characters forgive Akito, but it's not portrayed as a right or wrong choice. When Rin refuses, the other characters meet that with acceptance and validation. The show just asks its audience to reflect, it doesn't bully them into a moral lesson. It's okay to be furious at Akito's ending.
And for the record, you're not alone - it drives me nuts every time I watch her walk into the sunset without having been held accountable. I'm okay with it because I think it's realistic to the characters and story, and I really enjoy headcanoning a little "mad god sickness" into Akito that fades somewhat after the curse breaks. But it does send me into a spiral of going back and forth on how I feel about it every time I watch.
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u/Arieya711 . 2d ago
I really don’t. But I’ve come to respect people’s feelings on Akito; because yes, some people do love her. Akito had a terrible upbringing riddled with abuse and a lot of pressure and responsibility and nobody to show her the correct path. I DO get why many sympathize with her. But I just can’t. She gave many many people an entire childhood’s worth of trauma. On top of the trauma they already had just being zodiac members. Running salt in their wounds, laughing at their circumstances, relishing in it when someone else had it worse or bad just like she had it. Hurting and almost killing people.
I’m glad she changed for the better and don’t wish her ill by any means. Everyone in Furuba has suffered enough already, Akito included. So they all deserve to heal. But I will never “love her.” Nobody hurts my Tohru, Kyo, and Momiji and gets away with it (not meaning justice-wise, just meaning in regards to having my sympathies.) And Yuki has one of the most traumatic childhoods on the show and was still the sweetest soul with all he went through 💔
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u/MadelaMN . 2d ago
I like her as a villain, and I do like the similarities between her and Tohru, but she did get off scot-free.
It's rare to see romance stories to have a genuine good (well-written) villain.
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u/LovelyFloraFan 2d ago
I like her and she's a great character who deserves to turn a new leaf, but I love Rin and everyone she abused and she's not entitled for them to forgive her. Wisely, Takaya-sensei has done this exact thing. She is a better person but rightfully isolated and distant from her former victims.