Kyo Sohma/Relationships

## Family

### Father

Kyo is estranged from his biological father. Since Kyo was born as the Cat, his father has blamed him for everything that went wrong in his life, and mentions that he regrets Kyo being born. This anger eventually led him to emotionally and verbally abuse both his son and wife. When Kyo's mother committed suicide, Kyo's father put all of the blame on Kyo, oblivious to the fact that his abuse was one of the factors that led to her suicide as well. Because he refused to take care of Kyo, Kazuma took him in and eventually adopted him. Even after being adopted, Kyo’s very existence makes his father uneasy, and he shows complete rejection and fear towards Kyo, and is absolutely convinced that Kyo is a monster, even referring to him as "it", and openly anticipates Kyo being locked up in the Cat's Room for the rest of his life. Because of this, Kyo harbored a strong hatred and grudge towards his father as well, and thinks he would be better off dead. But as he grows up, Kyo, although he views his father as the biggest “fear”, stops talking about and to his father, and does not want anything to do with him. At one point, after going through life-changing experiences, Kyo is even willing to apologize to him for apparently making his mother commit suicide. However, he also makes it very clear that he would never let himself be locked up in the Cat's room. At the end of the confrontation, although his attempt to reconcile is violently rejected, Kyo comes to realize what a pitiful man his father is, and tells him he'll be back before leaving.

However, it is implied that they never reconciled, as Kyo's son, Hajime, is shown to absolutely hate his biological grandfather.

### Mother

Kyo’s mother was excessively overprotective of him and was mentioned to love him more than anything in the world. Although her feelings of love were genuine, she immensely pitied Kyo, couldn’t bear being around him, and was afraid of his true form; displaying her paranoia by making sure his Juzu Beads were intact dozens of times every day. She tried to cover up her fear by displaying her motherly love, but Kyo did not appreciate this kind of love, since, for him, it felt forced and pitiful. Eventually, Kyo’s mother committed suicide by stepping in front of a moving train which Kyo was blamed for. Because of this, he did not shed any tears at her funeral and refused to believe that he was to blame. Growing up, Kyo’s mother has been a source of pain and guilt for Kyo; he sometimes has nightmares about her, feels responsible for her death and thus feels like he doesn’t deserve to live, and likens eventually being locked up in the Cat’s room to the time she would never let him out of the house.

However, as Kyo grows up, he begins thinking that he may have been an indirect factor in her suicide and accepts that fact. Nonetheless, he also remembers that his mother was shunned in the same way he was, and abused by his father like he was. Because of this, Kyo begins sympathizes with her, as he realizes that she was very lonely and had no one to lean on or talk to. While Kyo is regretful that his mother now is dead and thus can’t make things right with her and can't take anything back, he admits that he can finally think that he just wanted her to live on and didn’t want her give up on herself. This implies that Kyo has begun viewing his mother in a new light and now harbors more positive feelings towards her.

### Kazuma Sohma

Kazuma is Kyo's adoptive father who took him in after his mother committed suicide and his biological father rejected him. Kazuma sympathized with him and understood him since his late grandfather was the previous Cat, much to Kyo's relief. Kyo eventually became Kazuma’s pupil and he began training Kyo in martial arts, something they bonded over. Even though Kazuma’s feelings were initially based on pity, he genuinely came to love Kyo as his own son and mentions that he would do anything for him. Even when other members of the Sohma family shunned him for taking in the Cat, Kazuma was never excessively overprotective or rejecting of Kyo, and showered him in love and care regardless of what others might have thought. This kind of untainted love was something that Kyo had experienced for the first time in his life, so he developed a great love towards Kazuma and eventually began wishing that he could be his real father. However, not wanting to cause trouble for Kazuma or for him to be slandered because of being associated with the Cat, Kyo put a distance between them and refused to refer to Kazuma as his father. Nonetheless, as the years went by, Kyo acknowledges the mistakes behind his actions, and now hopes to become a better man who is worthy of proudly calling Kazuma his father.

Throughout the series, Kyo is shown to harbor deep respect towards Kazuma and mentions that Kazuma raising him and being there for him, even at his lowest points, is something that saved him many times. Kazuma is initially also one of the only and few people who Kyo genuinely loves and is kind to. Although they sometimes bicker as a typical father-son duo, Kyo always puts Kazuma's happiness above his own even if he doesn't always agree with him, always speaks fondly of him, and uses his words of wisdom as a guide in his life.

In *Years later* it is mentioned that Kyo will be inheriting Kazuma's dojo, and Hajime also mentions that Kazuma is his one and only grandfather, strongly implying that father and son are as close as ever. by the time Kyo is an adult, he has begun calling Kazuma “Dad”.

## Friends

### Kyoko Honda

Kyo and Kyoko.
Kyo has known Tohru's mother, Kyoko Honda, since childhood. The first time they met, Kyoko instantly took to Kyo but he was very rude and hostile towards her because he was not used to people wanting to interact with him. But Kyoko's persistence eventually broke through, and the fact that both of them had similar upbringings which made Kyoko be able to understand and emphasized with Kyo's situation with his parents, made Kyo think of her as a person who could make him forgive himself by simply existing. After their first encounter, Kyoko told him to visit her again, and Kyo who had begun developing a fondness towards her and was surprised to see that aside from Kazuma, there was someone else who made his dark world a little bit brighter, did exactly so.

From there on, Kyo and Kyoko became friends and they would talk about everything; Kyoko trusted him to such an extent that she told Kyo about her past as a delinquent, how she met her future husband Katsuya, how she almost gave up when Katsuya died, and how she now was determined to keep living for her daughter Tohru's sake. Even though Kyo would minimally talk during their conversations, he enjoyed and appreciated Kyoko's friendship and it was indicated he may have saw in Kyoko a true mother figure that he didn't have in his own biological mother. She, along with Tohru, was also one of the people who Kyo always wanted to be happy. Kyo also comforted Kyoko when she was distraught that her daughter went missing and didn't hesitate to volunteer and promise to save Tohru when she went missing. However, their friendship ended when Kyo accused Kyoko of siding with Yuki, as Yuki was the one who found Tohru first, and consequently rejected her. Kyoko just gleefully reminded him that she still wanted Kyo to keep the promise they had made; that he would protect Tohru.

For almost a decade, Kyo never saw or visited Kyoko again. However, four months before the start of the series, Kyoko is hit by a truck and dies. Kyo, who witnessed this, could have saved her but didn't because of his curse, and heard her mutter the words "I'll never forgive you". Despite their argument, Kyo was left utterly devastated by the death of the woman who was the closest to being a mother to him, feeling deeply guilty and remorseful over how badly he ended their relationship and how he didn't save her, leaving him immensely depressed. At first, he shifted the blame to Yuki as he would mentally fall apart otherwise, which delusionally only compounded his hatred for Yuki, but after learning to cope with his situation by deciding to hide his guilt, meeting Tohru made all of his guilt resurface and forced him to realize that he had no right to blame Yuki more than he had the right to blame himself. It weighs heavily on him, as Kyo can't bring himself to visit Kyoko's grave, and his will to pursue Tohru is heavily hampered by his guilt regarding Kyoko's death. For a long time, Kyoko is a source of pain and guilt for Kyo, but he also remembers her fondly and the meaningful things she used to teach him.

Towards the end, when Kyo gets together with Tohru and decides to move forward, he also accepts to live with his guilt but visits Kyoko's grave and once again reaffirms his promise to her to protect Tohru for the rest of his life. However, Tohru assures Kyo that whatever Kyoko said, her words were not born of hate. Although the two of them never got to know the truth, it is later revealed that when Kyoko seemingly said, "I'll never forgive you", she was actually trying to say, "I'll never forgive you if you don't keep your promise to protect Tohru". This means that Kyoko did indeed not have any ill feelings towards Kyo and that he succeeded in keeping his promise with Kyoko.

### Arisa Uotani

 File:Kyo and Arisa
Kyo and Arisa are very similar, but she regularly teases Kyo and hits him for the fun of it, which leads to arguments. Because of this, she is one of the few - if not only - girls that Kyo is willing to fight against. Despite such things, they seem to get along and are comfortable enough in one another's presence to feel like they can be themselves. Kyo appears to be fine with Arisa calling him "Kyon" but dislikes the nickname "carrots" she gave for him, and calls her "yankee" in retaliation. Even though Kyo is put off by Arisa's straightforwardness and is annoyed by her sometimes, he seems to respect Arisa and the decisions she has made along with Saki. Arisa also mentions that although she thinks that Kyo is stupid, she can't come to hate him, because she does think he is a good person. So when Kyo began dating Tohru, Arisa expressed that Saki and she were counting on Kyo to make Tohru happy.

### Saki Hanajima

 File:Kyo and Saki.png
Kyo and Saki share a casual relationship that is only linked through Tohru. While Kyo does think she is a bit weird and spooky, he isn't too bothered by her "waves" and doesn't mind spending time with her. He is, however, shaken to his core when Saki correctly deduces that Kyo's emotions are in "chaos" when in the presence of Kyoko's grave.

Aside from that, he is usually freaked out by the fact that Saki apparently has a crush on Kazuma and will do anything in his power to keep Saki from his adoptive father. Likewise, Saki likes to tease Kyo and does so regularly, especially when it comes to her crush on Kazuma. Despite such things, Kyo seems to respect Saki and the decisions she has made along with Arisa despite his annoyance, and understands the emotional turmoil she feels when he begins dating Tohru and therefore "taking away" her best friend.

### Hiroshi and Yusuke

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Despite his occasional annoyance towards Hiroshi and Yusuke and detesting the nickname "Kyon-kyon" they gave him, Kyo genuinely seems to appreciate their friendship and presence, and they are one of the few people that Kyo spends the most time at in school. It is mentioned that once Kyo's curse broke, he began socializing with and spending more time with his friends.

## Sohma Family

### Yuki Sohma

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Ever since he was a child, Kyo has hated Yuki more than anyone in his life. Even though Yuki actually wanted to be friends with Kyo when they were children, Kyo made Yuki his scapegoat and blamed all of his misfortunes on Yuki to feel better about himself; including his fate as the Cat, his mother's suicide, and Kyoko's death. After making a bet with Akito which entailed that Kyo could become a full-fledged member of the Zodiac if he succeeded in beating Yuki, Kyo thought he could be happy since he would finally have a concrete reason for hating Yuki. Therefore, at the beginning of the story, Kyo has made it his life goal to defeat Yuki, and both of them share a mutual hatred towards one another. Whenever they talk or interact, they are always at odds and at each other's throats frequently. Even though Kyo detests Yuki, he is shown to be envious of how Yuki is "perfect", always able to take advantage of a situation as one should, and how he is accepted into the zodiac family. Likewise, Yuki is envious of how Kyo has the ability to easily make friends and fit into normal social settings.

Their relationships begin to improve slightly after they meet Tohru. Because both of them care so deeply about Tohru, and despite continuing to argue and fight over everything, they begin to soften their attitudes toward each other and are able to cooperate when Tohru is in trouble. After getting the news from Akito that he is to be locked up soon, Kyo begins to forget about Yuki and the bet and prioritizes spending time with Tohru as much as he can. Despite this, he shows no will to acknowledge his mistake of making Yuki the villain of his story and refuses to get to know him. Their relationship remains strained for a long time, but at one point when Kyo, for the first time, blames his misfortunes on himself and acknowledges his mistakes of making Yuki the "bad guy" which Yuki overhears, their relationship starts to become more overly complex.

When Tohru is hospitalized, Kyo refuses to go see because he is guilt-ridden, convinced that she would be better off with Yuki and that he wouldn't be able to protect her. Yuki consequently beats him up and is the first one to make him realize that he isn't some kind of superhero that can save everyone (as in Kyo failing to save Kyoko), that he is the only one who can truly make Tohru happy, and that there are things he can do that no one else can. Kyo, in return, confesses how he has always wanted to be like Yuki, and Yuki exclaims that he has always idolized Kyo as well. After realizing how they both wanted to be the other and how all of this time, hating each other just wasn’t worth it, Kyo gained respect for Yuki and was influenced by his words, which ultimately gave him the courage to stand up to his biological father and reconcile with Tohru. Their dynamic begins to change as their arguments and fights mellow down into a gentler air between them and light-hearted teasing from Yuki's side. When Tohru asked Kyo about the reason behind their budding friendship, Kyo replied that Yuki had "beat him up". At the very end, Kyo and Yuki smile while walking past each other, friendly calling each other the usual "stupid cat" and "damn rat".

It is implied that they still remain friends and frequently contact each other in their adult lives, as their sons were raised like brothers.

### Shigure Sohma

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Despite living under the same roof, Kyo shares a casual and slightly distant relationship with Shigure. While they are able to converse normally and eat meals together and while Shigure gives him advice from time to time, the latter regularly gets on Kyo's nerves, especially when it involves Tohru. Kyo does not trust Shigure and is aware that he is hiding something sinister behind his easy-going personality. Shigure is also aware of Kyo's sore spots and sometimes pushes his wrong buttons for the fun of it, which Kyo does not take well. Shigure doesn't actually hate Kyo, his friendly attitude being genuine, and he seems to pity Kyo for being the Cat and that he will eventually have to be seperated from Tohru, which leads to him pretending to look down on Kyo and claiming that having Kyo as a scapegoat makes the Zodiacs feel better about themselves, as to force Tohru to accept and be with Kyo. However, their relationship seems to improve after the curse is broken and both of them have achieved their respective goals, though Kyo is still hostile towards Shigure whenever he lays a hand of Tohru.

### Kagura Sohma

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Kyo was very fond of Kagura when they were children, viewing her as an older sister and affectionately calling her "Kagura-nee", and was happy whenever she played with him considering he had no other friends. However, unbeknownst to Kyo, Kagura befriended Kyo because she felt better about herself when she made Kyo her scapegoat. And when she discovered his true form and ran away from him, Kyo was hurt by this and began distancing himself from her, which left their relationship strained. But Kagura, who felt horribly guilty and wanted to forget about the incident and her former self, naively convinced herself that she loved "Kyo the monster".

Ever since then, Kagura has borne an obsessive love towards Kyo and is convinced that she will marry him, since they both are Zodiacs and she "accepts" his true form. She proclaims herself as his fiancée and openly shows her love as much as she can, but due to her aggressive approach and her physically violent side, Kyo rejects all of her advances, is afraid of her, and flees at every sight of her. This has lead to Kyo being rude, cold, dismissive, and hostile towards Kagura at all times, even when Kagura is her usual sweet self. However, he is also willing to do things, like hold her hand or pat her head, when he feels like it is the only way to make her calm down.

Kagura later confesses to Kyo that although her love was initially based on pity, as she got to know him, she genuinely began liking him and became serious about pursuing him. She acknowledges that her past actions are too selfish, and is satisfied by being able to confess that she truly does love him. Although Kyo couldn't accept her love, he tells her that it does not matter in what way she viewed him in; the fact that she had played with him when no one else did and the fact that she had loved him, made him very happy. This means that Kyo cares about and respects Kagura in his own way, and he also pulls her into a hug to comfort her and lets her cry in his arms as long as she needs to.

Following this, Kagura stops pursuing Kyo and becomes supportive of his relationship with Tohru. Towards the end, it is seen that Kyo has warmed up to her and feels no need to run away from her or avoid her, and is able to strike up a conversation with her while bearing a smile.

### Momiji Sohma

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While Momiji is very fond of Kyo; often displaying affection towards him and always inviting him to events, Kyo is regularly annoyed by Momiji's extremely happy-go-lucky, energetic, and unpredictable personality as well as him not having any sense of personal space, among other things. When Momiji is bothering him too much, Kyo is not afraid to show his disdain or annoyance towards him by smacking him or hitting him. Despite that, they get along quite well and Kyo does not seem to be bothered by his company and when he hugs him. Kyo also seems to care about Momiji to the point where he is willing to teach him about things he is curious about, such as where and how to catch stag beetles.

When both of them later realize that they are in love with Tohru, their relationship becomes quite tense. Momiji is well aware of the fact that Kyo and Tohru love each other, and that Kyo has given up on pursuing Tohru due to being the Cat among other reasons, but he tells him to not give up and urges him to quickly act on his feelings, as he would steal Tohru away from him otherwise. Besides their mutual love for Tohru, Kyo genuinely seems to care for Momiji and checks up on him when he feels like Momiji is unwell. When Kyo later gets together with Tohru, he is shown to be worried in consideration of Momiji, but he shows Kyo that it is fine.

### Hatsuharu Sohma

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Kyo and Hatsuharu practiced martial arts together throughout their childhood and bonded over it. They eventually developed somewhat of a rivalry; Haru becoming determined to one day beat Kyo in a martial arts fight. Although Kyo is not as motivated, he is always willing to spar with Haru and does so fairly while holding Haru's abilities in high regard. Aside from their rivalry, Kyo being annoyed by his air-headed personality, and Kyo absolutely detesting his "Black Haru" persona, they are friends and get along quite well. Haru also mentions that he loves Kyo, but not in the same way he loves Yuki.

### Hiro Sohma

 File:S1E20-2019 (85).png
Although Kyo and Hiro are similar in more ways than one, they are often at odds with each other. Hiro regularly gets on Kyo's nerves, especially when it involves Tohru, and is never above scolding him or giving him a tongue-lashing when he feels like Hiro is being rude or obnoxious towards Tohru. However, towards the end of the story, their relationship is less tense, and although Hiro still likes to mess with Kyo and despite their mutual sarcastic comments to one another, they do help each other when in distress.

### Isuzu Sohma

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Rin and Kyo had a very hostile relationship as children. Since Rin used to spend most of her time at Kazuma's house as a child due to her parents kicking her out of their house, Kyo was afraid that that Rin would "steal" his beloved Kazuma away from him. In the present time, they are neither friends or enemies, and they are shown to have a rather casual relationship. Kyo seems to be supportive of Rin's friendship with Tohru and thinks that it is good for both of them.

## Love interests

### Tohru Honda

Kyo knew about Tohru as a child since he was friends with her mother, Kyoko. Even though he never talked to Tohru, he had been shown pictures of her which is why he began thinking that she was cute. He eventually wanted to see Tohru for himself, and when he did, he disliked how lonely she looked. From there on, he expressed that he always wanted Tohru to be happy. He also promised Kyoko once that he would protect Tohru no matter what. However, when his friendship with Kyoko ended, his feelings towards Tohru ceased as well.

During their "reunion" when Tohru accidentally finds out about the Sohma family secret, Kyo recognizes her as the daughter of Kyoko. This pains Kyo greatly, as her presence reminded him that he couldn't escape his guilt from apparently letting Kyoko die a few months prior. Because of this, Kyo initially treats Tohru with his typical harsh and angry manner, and he retaliates to her efforts of friendship by pushing her further and further away. However, Kyo is eventually drawn to Tohru when she states she likes him for being the Cat of the Zodiac, something that caused everyone else to hate him until that point, and due to her kind and caring personality. Because of this, he develops an attachment as well as a protective, kind, and soft attitude towards her. As time goes on, with Tohru being by his side when he is hurting and with Kyo encouraging her to speak up and reminding her that her own doubts and insecurities are important, they grow much closer and it is clear that Tohru becomes an incredibly important person for Kyo. However, he refuses to truly let her into his heart since he is afraid to lose her.

When Tohru is exposed to Kyo's true form, he violently tries to push her away; but Tohru, although scared, stays with him because she wants to understand him better and live alongside him. Kyo, who had yearned for such an acceptance that he hadn't received from anyone before, hugs her and calls her by name for the first time. Kyo admits that Tohru didn't take away all of his problems or soothe his pain, but the fact that she wants to stay by his side everyday, sharing life side by side, facing the painful and happy things together, and acknowledging the "real" him without loving all of him, makes Kyo vow to treasure Tohru and always be by her side.

After experiencing such a personal moment together, it leads Kyo to become more insightful of Tohru and her feelings; Tohru even mentions that Kyo is always spot-on regarding how she feels. For example, he is able to notice her change in behavior when no one else does, as well as when she puts on a happy face to hide that she is hurting. Because of this, knowing that Tohru usually cares so much for others that she forgets to take care of herself, Kyo regularly encourages her to speak up and be selfish sometimes - things that Tohru has had issues with - and helps her face her self-doubt. While Kyo is always there to lend Tohru a listening ear, he becomes very comfortable around Tohru as well and trusts her completely; being able to confide anything to her and barely flinching when she touches his Juzu bead bracelet. Due to all these things, Kyo eventually comes to realize that he is deeply in love with Tohru and wants to be with her forever. However, he rejects his own feelings because he feels like he doesn’t deserve to be with Tohru due to apparently letting Tohru's beloved mother die, and since he has limited time outside. For these reasons, Kyo decides to not pursue Tohru and only yearns to spend his remaining time by her side until he is locked away forever.

Even though Kyo is content by only staying by her side without any reciprocal feelings, his love for her grows stronger, making him more physically- and emotionally intimate with her. At the same time, he sidelines his own love and even expresses that he will support Tohru when she gets herself a boyfriend. However, Tohru begins to gradually fall in love with Kyo as well; she later admits to Isuzu Sohma that she considers Kyo as the most important person in her life and that he is the reason she wants to break the curse. Kyo, on the other hand, thinks that it is unforgivable for him to even consider that she may harbor feelings for him. Yet, as time goes on, they become increasingly nervous and anxious around each other (the mere act of touching hands sends them into fits of embarrassed babbling), and they grow much closer after Tohru opens up about her father and consequently shows Kyo all of her “ugly sides“, which she apologizes for. But Kyo tells her that she can talk like that as much as she wants and what made her think less of herself wouldn’t make him think any less of her and feel disillusioned. This event prompted Tohru to come to terms with her feelings and she later confesses to Kyo that she loves him. However, Kyo, guilt-ridden by Kyoko's death, rejects her by saying that it made him disillusioned. However, Kyo breaks down when Tohru later falls off a cliff, whereupon he regretfully apologizes for everything, admits his feelings to her, and kisses her, although she is not coherent enough to understand.

After this incident and after finding out that Tohru thinks he dumped her, Kyo does everything in his power to correct that misunderstanding. When Tohru is discharged from the hospital, Kyo apologizes for trampling over Tohru's feelings and asks her for forgiveness as well as one last chance to make things right, since he wanted to be with her forever. Tohru does not feel like she has to forgive Kyo, rather, she just wants to stay with him forever as well and reiterates the strength of her love for him. Shortly after, when the curse is broken, Kyo and Tohru begin dating and become an incredibly loving and affectionate couple who yearns to spend as much time together as possible and vows to always be at one another's side.

## Enemies

### Akito Sohma

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Kyo has a very tense and cold relationship with Akito. He views her as a sadistic and cruel person and holds no positive feelings towards her. Akito, in return, looks down on Kyo for being the Cat, thinks his true form is disgusting, that he is the reason behind his mother's suicide and that he, therefore, doesn't deserve to be happy. She has also been shown to be physically and emotionally abusive towards Kyo; playing with his insecurities and belittling Tohru knowing that Kyo loves her. She has never once believed that Kyo would win their bet, regarding if Kyo would beat Yuki, he would become a part of the Zodiac, and consequently made her decision to lock him up in the Cat's Room clear. However, she also tells him that she "loves" him and that even if everyone else leaves him, she will visit him in his cell. Kyo, although he can be very hostile towards Akito in some situations and is not afraid to show his disdain towards her, fears Akito and is never able to defy her wills since she is the "God". After Kyo resigns himself to the fate Akito has chosen for him, Akito tells him he never has to come back to her again, and Kyo decides to simply not bother himself with her anymore as he deems doing other things, such as spending time with Tohru, more important in the remaining time he has left.