Ritsu Souma

Zodiac Animal: Monkey

As far back as he could remember, his parents always had to apologize for everything he did, so he is very unsure of himself. He feels that every day, he is robbing the world of its air by breathing.

He found that it always made him feel more comfortable to dress like a girl, but that only gave his parents even more to apologize for. Since he looks so much like a girl, that's what Tohru thought when she first saw him, until he accidently transformed. Somehow, Tohru convinced him that he does have a reason to live, he just hasn't found it yet. 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.