Momiji Souma

Momiji is cheerful, affectionate and emotionally expressive. He cries readily, enjoys playful behavior and initially seems carefree, but he is far more perceptive than his childlike appearance suggests. He often understands painful situations without needing them explained and can respond with unusual emotional maturity.

His optimism is a deliberate way of living rather than evidence that he has escaped hardship. Momiji refuses to conclude that painful memories would be better erased simply because remembering hurts. He values happiness precisely because he understands that it can coexist with grief.

He is also unusually comfortable ignoring social expectations. His clothes, affectionate behavior and willingness to hug Tooru despite knowing he will transform all reflect a personality less concerned with appearing conventional than many of the people around him.

As the Rabbit of the Zodiac, Momiji transforms into a rabbit when the curse is triggered. His small animal form corresponds closely with the youthful appearance he has during much of the story.

Momiji is a talented violinist and takes lessons partly through his family's wealth and opportunities. Music becomes personally important to him, although circumstances within his family complicate his ability to continue those lessons freely.

Momiji later undergoes a dramatic physical growth spurt, reaching 167.6 cm and losing much of the childlike appearance that previously caused strangers to underestimate his age.

Momiji is among the first Zodiac members Tooru meets outside Shigure's household. His family history gives her an early demonstration of how cruel the consequences of the curse can become even when the cursed person has done nothing wrong.

Momiji's mother rejected him after his birth because she could not cope with having a cursed child, and Hatori erased her memories of him at her request. Momiji accepts living as a stranger to her so that she can remain happy with his father and younger sister.

Later, Momiji becomes one of the first Zodiac members whose curse breaks independently. He refuses Akito's attempts to pull him back into the old bond, even though freedom leaves him confronting the loneliness of having lost the supernatural connection that once tied the Zodiac together.

Tooru Honda quickly becomes one of Momiji's most important friends. He trusts Tooru Honda with painful family memories and repeatedly shows concern for her emotional well-being. He later recognizes that his feelings for her have become romantic, while also understanding that her heart belongs elsewhere.

Momo Souma is Momiji's younger sister. [Because their mother's memories were altered, Momo Souma grows up unaware that he is her brother, though she independently becomes curious about him and wishes he could become her older brother.](#spoiler)

Hatsuharu Souma is Momiji's close friend and classmate, and the two enter Kaibara High School in the same year.

Hatori Souma is involved in the painful decision surrounding Momiji's mother and continues to show concern for him afterward.

Akito Souma holds the supernatural authority of the Zodiac bond over Momiji. After that bond disappears, Momiji refuses to surrender his newfound independence.