Ritsu Sohma - History
Ritsu’s parents are non-Zodiac members of the large and wealthy Sohma family, though they appear to rank rather low in the hierarchy. His mother is the hostess at the traditional Japanese hot springs, or onsen, which the family owns, and he stands to inherit this position someday.
Several of the central characters visit this onsen for a vacation during the series, and while they don’t meet Ritsu there, they do meet his over-apologetic, melodramatic mother when she greets them and serves them during their stay. She later joins Tohru Honda, the protagonist, in one of the baths, and explains that she has a child who is a member of the Zodiac. Her expression is tender and sad when she speaks of her child.
Ritsu is introduced when he arrives at the house of Shigure Sohma for a visit, long after the hot-springs visit. He is found crying outside by Tohru, who is staying in Shigure’s house with two other Sohma family members, Yuki and Kyo. The bag in which he was carrying souvenirs has broken, and while Tohru stops to assist him, she is introduced to his personality, which can go from sweet and timid to even more apologetic and melodramatic than that of his mother.
Ritsu is wearing a woman’s kimono and is very beautiful, and speaks in a delicate and polite manner befitting the career he is expected to take over. Tohru believes he is a woman when they are formally introduced by Shigure, who then proceeds to tease Ritsu into several more spurts of dramatic apology. During one of these moments, Ritsu attempts to leave, but then bumps into Tohru, causing her to break one of the cups she was carrying. He becomes even more distressed at this, and while trying to calm him Tohru falls into him and accidentally hugs him, revealing his true gender as he transforms into a small, light brown monkey. She then proceeds to cut herself on the broken glass, mortifying Ritsu and result in him running off.
Later, when Tohru asks Shigure why Ritsu wears women’s clothing, he explains that Ritsu feels more comfortable when he dresses as a woman, as though the pressures of the world and the expectations of how he should act are lifted from him when he dresses as a female.
After Tohru’s wound has been treated, they find Ritsu on the roof, now dressed in men’s clothing. He is poised as if to commit suicide by jumping, and continues to speak in a dramatic, apologetic and tear-filled voice. He apologizes for deceiving her by dressing as a woman and explains that it is embarrassing that she found out, though she hurriedly tries to console him by assuring him he makes a very pretty girl. Ritsu continues to speak about how he is absolutely worthless and doesn’t know why he was even born, and apologizing that he only brings trouble to everyone around him.
Though the other family members act as though they have heard this before, the words resonate with Tohru and Yuki, who can tell that he truly believes that what he is saying is true. Tohru talks him off the roof by telling him life is worth living, always, and that he shouldn’t be ashamed of anything he does, because as long as he does them with all his might, he is living life. Her words touch him, though it is not clear whether that is because he believes her message or is touched that she cares enough to share it with him. He agrees not to jump, but slips and twists his ankle.
Later, as his leg is being treated by Hatori Sohma, the doctor of the family who arrived at the house to treat Tohru, he continues to apologize, though is much calmer and quiet for the time being. He expresses a desire to be as confident as the loud and obnoxious Ayame Sohma, and though he is told he could never be that confident, Hatori and Shigure try to explain to him that he needn’t try so hard to be confident in himself, and that he doesn’t offend people or disappoint people as often as he believes he does. He seems surprised at this and looks as though he doesn’t know what to say.
He stays at Shigure’s home for several days, along with Hatori, and continues with his messy, dramatic apologies at the slightest hint of annoyance or disappointment towards him by the members of the house. Later on his last day there, he is on an errand for Shigure and bumps into Tohru, who catches him in yet another profuse apology, this time to a dog who is trying to steal the takoyaki he has purchased. They sit on a bench and begin to talk, during which he opens up to Tohru about why he acts and dresses as he does.
He explains that, even though he is a member of the Zodiac, there is nothing remarkable about him. He has no skills or talents like the other members of the Zodiac do, and things have always taken him more effort to do than the others. Because of this, his parents, who already apologize with the ridiculous intensity he inherited, were constantly apologizing to the rest of the family for their very average son.
Hearing these apologies undermined his confidence immensely, causing him to feel worthless, and as though he could do nothing right. As a result, he became very quiet and timid, and at a young age began to wear girls clothing, saying that they made him feel more comfortable, protected. (I personally believe that this was Ritsu’s way of expressing his belief that his personality is more suited to a woman than a man, as he didn’t have any confidence in himself, as a man ought to.) His cross-dressing then caused his parents to apologize for him even more, thus continuing to lower his already barely-there self esteem.
Quietly upset, full of self-deprication and loathing, he tells Tohru that he wishes he could stop dressing as a woman, and that he has tried before, but was not brave enough to keep it up. That he hates himself and wishes he was never born, that he can’t figure out the reason he came into this world, because all he does is disappoint those around him. He ends with saying he is bold to continue living his life despite being so useless, as though it is wrong of him to do so.
Tohru tells him that everyone is looking for the meaning of their existence, and that no one knows the answer, even those who act like they do. She explains that she hopes to find her reason for existence in another person, and Ritsu cheers up and explains that he would like to do the same. They set off towards the house together, and the next day, Shigure tells Tohru that Ritsu left for the onsen again, still dressed in women’s clothing.
This is the point from which I am taking him.