Fruits Basket fans! Rejoice! Right after the airing of the final episode of “Fruits Basket: 2nd Season”, the ‘official Japanese website of the anime‘ announced that the 3rd season will be released next year. Excited? So are we!
Many fans think that it would be titled “Fruits Basket: 3rd Season”. However, the official title turned out to be “Fruits Basket: The Final” to indicate that the 3rd season will be the last. A two-cour season (25-26 episodes) is likely so that the remaining 7-8 volumes will be adapted properly.
Today, I will be discussing some plot points from the final episode of Season 2, as well as some theories and speculations on Fruits Basket: The Final.
Disclaimer: I will include a few spoilers from the manga, so take heed if you don’t want to be spoiled.
Like many of you, I am not ready for this fabulous story to end yet! It has been an emotionally wild journey, especially with the huge twists on Season 2’s finale:
- Kureno Sôma’s liberation from the ancient zodiac curse; and
- the reveal that Akito is a girl!
1. When will Fruits Basket Season 3 Come Out?
“Fruits Basket: 1st Season” premiered on April 5, 2019 in Japan. Then, “Fruits Basket: 2nd Season” aired on April 6, 2020.
The third and final season of FuruBa anime will be officially titled “Fruits Basket: The Final” and is set to release on April 6, 2021.
But even though TMS Entertainment (the animation studio behind the beloved series), hasn’t confirmed a Spring 2021 release, this is our best guess.
Fruits Basket anime celebrates the themes of youthful drama in its big cast of characters. So, it makes sense that the premiere of every season should be springtime.
2. What to Expect
Fruits Basket themes strongly touch upon issues such as family abuse, depression, social insecurity, and even suicide.
Now that the role and gender of the Sôma family head have been revealed, could the final season expand on these shocking turns? And what of Kureno? Why is he the only member whose curse was broken?
- Little has been known about Akito’s family. Seasons 1 and 2 only showed us the household servants of the Sôma estate. Therefore, the final season is the perfect time to explore members of Akito’s nuclear relatives — the parents. How did they influence Akito’s upbringing? Did they acknowledge Akito as a Zodiac God (or Zodiac Goddess)? What about the grandparents? Where are they? Will they make a future appearance in the story?
- Who is the progenitor of the generational-old zodiac curse? Is it Akito’s nuclear family or their ancestors? Was there also a family head amongst the Sôma clan generations ago? Could there be someone higher or mightier than Akito? I can think of the parents or grandparents as the progenitor of the Soma family curse. But Akito’s ancestors could play a role as well since this is an ancient curse.
- Why is Akito not dubbed the “Goddess of the Zodiac” if her feminine gender has already been revealed? Is it because Tohru is the appropriate “Goddess of the Zodiac” and the potential replacement of the family head? If that would be the case, wouldn’t that be neat? 😄 Tohru’s not only a queen in this show — she’s a goddess!
- Season 2 showed us snippets of Akito’s childhood in episode 21 and in episode 25. Could TMS Entertainment flesh out Akito’s past in the final season?
- As the Zodiac Rooster (whose form is a sparrow in the anime), how did Kureno escape from the cursed family bonds that bind him? Was his curse lifted because his is the only Zodiac member with wings? Hence, he was able to “fly out” of the curse? Episode 25 of Season 2 didn’t answer this one, but only generated more questions about it!
3. Manga Spoilers: Breaking Down the Cliffhangers
- Sadly, the manga doesn’t explore the grandparents or ancestors of Akito’s family. But like most Sôma parents in this show, fans should be ready to meet Akito’s parents. It will open a can of worms as soon as episode 1 of “Fruits Basket: The Final” begins. I won’t say anything anymore because I want anime-onlies to anticipate the show with much suspense and high expectations.
- Several mysteries remain as to why the Sôma clan was chosen to be the carrier of the ancient curse. And all will be revealed in due time if fans patiently wait for the upcoming season. But if you really want to know, then, you must first understand that the progenitor of the Sôma clan’s curse is outside of Akito’s family. This mystery figure is also unrelated to Akito’s ancestral clan.
- Kyo and Yuki’s growth throughout Season 1 and 2 respectively were phenomenal! In “Fruits Basket: The Final”, watch how Tohru will grow into a stronger individual that fans rightfully dubbed her to be! Tohru’s character development might be slow in Seasons 1 and 2, but it only goes to show TMS Entertainment is saving the best for the final season.
- If you hate Akito, then that is understandable because Akito’s character is supposed to be hateable and detestable to the audience. However, if you are open to understand this root of hatred, then the final season of Fruits Basket will explore Akito’s past in the deep dungeons. The lid will finally be open for Akito!
- First, it was “Kureno is the Rooster”. Then, “Kureno is the sparrow”. Finally, “Kureno is the caged sparrow that Akito locked away (and brainwashed) in the dungeon (the Sôma family estate)”. No matter how audience look at it, both roosters and sparrows have one thing in common: wings. And the primary difference is that roosters cannot fly but sparrows can. Henceforth, it was the chosen Zodiac member to be released. The Zodiac sparrow flew out of Kureno’s body because the ancient curse was weakening its hold or grasp on Kureno. So, it is safe to say that the Zodiac sparrow managed to fly freely out of Kureno’s body. Whether or not it struggled to fly off on its own, one thing remains certain: Kureno’s not free, and this is very ironic given the circumstances.
4. Spring and its Importance in the Series
Aside from using the popular “snow melting into spring” metaphor in the show, here are the reasons why “Fruits Basket: The Final” must be aired in springtime.
As Shigure said in chapter 37, the Japanese characters comprising “youth” consists of “green” and “spring”. While blurting this out to the flirting Kyo and Tohru, he compares teenagers to new sprouts in springtime.
Shigure even suggested to the teenagers to not flirt too much while they stay in a Sôma-owned property — his house.
Shigure praised the Japanese forbearers who created the characters (or kanjis) for “youth”. The “kanji” for “spring” is pronounced as “Haru” (春); and in the traditional Japanese calendar, “Haru” is associated with the weeks between February 3-May 5.
Coincidentally, there is also a character in Fruits Basket by the name of “Hatsuharu”, whose nickname is “Haru” (the Zodiac Ox, but in the form of a cow).
We know for a fact that mangaka Natsuki Takaya named many of the cursed Sôma members after the months of the ‘former Japanese lunisolar calendar‘ (refer to Volume 14 of the TokyoPop edition of Fruits Basket, pp. 77, 111, and 141). In other words, the traditional Japanese names of the month makes up most of the names of the Sôma characters.
Kisa Sôma’s name for example comes from the traditional Japanese month, “Kisaragi” (representing the month of February) which means “changing clothes”. In essence, February is the month where nature changes its seasons or “changes its clothes”.
5. Fruits Basket: The Final Season’s OST
One thing I love about “Fruits Basket: 2nd Season” is the second cour ending theme song: “Eden” and the symbolisms behind it.
So, saying that I am looking forward for the upcoming season’s OST is an understatement. I am beyond excited to listen to Fruits Basket OST that will be used for the final season!
6. “Eden” and “Hanafuda”
If you are wondering what has been the ‘favourite Fruits Basket ending song’ as of Season 2, well, it’s “Eden”. Composed by Monkey Majik, TMS Entertainment incorporated ‘Hanafuda flower card pictorials and imageries‘ to accentuate the message of the music.
Fans who are familiar with the ‘Hanafuda cards‘ will realize the relevant order the Fruits Basket characters are presented in as the credits roll.
Since the characters’ names are based on that card deck, the grandeur of the theme song escalated in social media: ‘the official Twitter of Fruits Basket‘; ‘Fruits Basket subreddit‘; and even ‘theories about Hanafuda and Fruits Basket pop up in YouTube‘!
Even “Eden’s” transition sequence is arranged according to the traditional Japanese months that the Fruits Basket character names are based on. And it only emphasizes the “Eden” song as the new embodiment or reincarnation of the traditional Hanafuda floral cards!
As an example, the month of May is traditionally represented in the Japanese lunisolar calendar by 菖蒲, which is associated with “ayame”. Interestingly, Ayame is one of the series’ characters whose name means “iris”.
His transition sequence shows him holding and smelling the sweet fragrance of the purple water iris flowers nearby the iris garden marshes in the “Eden” ending sequence!
Moreover, ‘TV Tokyo’s recent interview with mangaka Natsuki Takaya‘ shed the light that the FuruBa project (short for Fruits Basket) started when she got interested about the Chinese zodiac and its zodiac animals from a dictionary! It is thanks to a dictionary that fans are flocking into the Fruits Basket anime and manga series now!
Having said all this, no wonder “Eden” became the fan favourite when it comes to Fruits Basket ending theme songs! The animation sequence used images from the Hanafuda Japanese card deck while drawing several Fruits Basket characters in their ‘celebratory banquet attire’.
Many fans have also put the Fruits Basket series in a pedestal. But I can’t do that yet because I am still curious to know the singers, the music composers, song performers, and transition scenes the final season will bring when the anime’s opening and ending sequences are revealed.
7. Will There be a Delay?
In any case, if what’s going on in the world doesn’t hinder the production schedule, “Fruits Basket: The Final” is likely going to premiere on April 7, 2021! But if it does, then it might be pushed back to Summer 2020 (hopefully not).
The Fall 2020 anime lineup is about to begin, with some shows like “Haikyuu!! To the Top: 2nd Season” assuring the fans of a televised schedule this season. Previously, it was one of those shows that had to be considered whether a delay to 2021 is needed. Thankfully, “Haikyuu!! To the Top: 2nd Season” will run full speed ahead this fall.
Personally, I would prefer it if the animation studio can maintain its Spring 2021 production schedule. The anime wouldn’t feel the same if “Fruits Basket: The Final” premieres on a season other than spring. So, let us hope it will for the sake of this lovely series!
About Fruits Basket
Fruits Basket is a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Natsuki Takaya.
It tells the story of Tohru Honda, an orphan girl who, after meeting Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure Sôma, learns that twelve members of the Sôma family are possessed by the animals of the Chinese zodiac!
It shows the various relationships and hardships of the characters along with their love and hopes, an amazing slice of life series! Fruits Basket Season 2 is the continuation of Fruits Basket: 1st Season.
No Comments on When will Fruits Basket Season 3 come out?