Kyō Sōma is a character in the anime film Fruits Basket -prelude- who is a member of the Sohma family and carries the curse of the cat spirit, an animal that was excluded from the Chinese zodiac after being tricked by the rat. His background is marked by profound loss and rejection. His mother, unable to accept his true form, committed suicide, and his biological father subsequently abandoned him. He was taken in and adopted by Kazuma Sohma, a martial arts master who became both a father figure and his teacher. As part of his curse, Kyō transforms into a large orange cat when embraced by a member of the opposite sex and, crucially, assumes a monstrous true form with a foul odor whenever a special bracelet of prayer beads is removed. This true form has caused him to be feared and despised within the family. His personality is initially fiery, short-tempered, and abrasive, as a defensive mechanism born from a lifetime of loneliness and self-loathing. He is stubborn, blunt, and often picks fights, particularly with Yuki Sohma, the rat of the zodiac, whom he blames for the cat's exclusion. Beneath this prickly exterior, however, he is deeply sensitive, self-sacrificing, and intensely loyal. His primary motivations shift over the course of his story. Early on, he is driven by a desire to defeat Yuki in combat, as a condition to avoid being confined for life after high school. But his deeper motivation is to be accepted and loved, a need that becomes central to his development. In Fruits Basket -prelude-, his role is intertwined with his future with Tohru Honda. The film portrays his journey from a guarded young man burdened by guilt over the death of Tohru's mother, Kyoko, to someone who learns to accept love and forgive himself. His key relationships include his bond with Tohru, whose unwavering acceptance of both his cat and true forms helps him heal, and who becomes his wife and the mother of his children. His rivalry with Yuki eventually evolves into an understanding and a form of mutual respect. His adoptive father Kazuma is another crucial figure, providing the first stable, loving home. Kyō’s notable abilities include his strong martial arts skills, honed under Kazuma’s tutelage, which he initially uses aggressively but later channels into a career as a martial arts instructor. He also possesses the transformation abilities of the cat curse and the burden of his true form, which he learns to control and accept. Over the course of the film and the larger story, Kyō undergoes significant emotional growth, moving from a volatile, self-hating teenager to a calm, affectionate husband and father who has found peace and happiness with Tohru and their children.