Ayame Sohma is the older brother of Yuki Sohma and is possessed by the spirit of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac, which causes him to transform into his animal form when embraced by a person of the opposite sex, when under significant physical or emotional stress, or when exposed to extreme temperatures. As a result of his cold-blooded nature, he is notably susceptible to cold and prone to catching illnesses. He is a tall and slender young man with long, straight silver hair and striking gold eyes. In stark contrast to his reserved younger brother, Ayame is defined by his vivacious, theatrical, and overwhelmingly self-centered personality. He is incredibly flamboyant and confident, with a knack for overly dramatic speeches and a tendency to be emotionally draining to be around. He refers to himself with the boyish pronoun boku and is known for his love of wordplay and his obliviousness to how his actions affect others, often realizing too late that he has caused hurt.

Ayame’s primary motivation throughout the story is to repair his fractured relationship with his brother, Yuki. During their childhood, he largely ignored Yuki, and a pivotal moment of regret occurred when a young Yuki reached out to him for help but was coldly brushed aside. As an adult, Ayame became obsessively dedicated to gaining Yuki’s love, driven by a fear of being completely alone. His well-intentioned but often overbearing attempts to bond include giving Yuki gifts like embroidered clothing reading I live for my older brother and showing up unannounced at his home with foods Yuki enjoyed as a child, such as peaches and crab. A significant turning point occurs when Ayame intervenes at a parent-teacher conference for Yuki, publicly confronting their controlling mother and effectively breaking her hold over Yuki’s life, which allows the two brothers to begin a slow and genuine reconciliation. Yuki eventually admits that despite finding his brother exhausting, he does consider Ayame to be reliable.

In addition to his role as a brother, Ayame is one third of the Mabudachi Trio, a group of the three oldest cursed zodiac members, alongside his closest friends Shigure Sohma and Hatori Sohma. His dynamic with Shigure is playful and filled with faux-romantic banter, while he holds a deep respect for the more mature Hatori, who is the only person capable of restraining Ayame’s most excessive behavior. Notably, Ayame is one of the few zodiac members who was never directly harmed by Akito Sohma, the family head, as Akito found his eccentric personality too baffling to engage with.

Ayame is the owner and designer of a custom boutique named after himself, which specializes in what he calls romantic costumes, such as maid outfits and other garments meant to fulfill men's fantasies. He works alongside his assistant and seamstress, Mine Kuramae, who later becomes his girlfriend and eventually his wife. When the zodiac curse is finally broken, Ayame is among those freed, and his first act as an ordinary human is to embrace Mine and confess his love for her, declaring that he was born to love her. Following the events of the main story, he marries Mine and they have two children together, a daughter and a son.