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Kazuma makes his appearance at the end of the anime and later on in the manga, but we hear about him from Kyou on a couple of occasions. Kyou's very attached to Kazuma and calls him "shishou," meaning "master," such as a martial arts or a dojo master. Everyone other than Kyou calls him "shihan," which means "instructor." Kazuma taught most of the Souma kids what they know of martial arts; this includes Yuki, Kyou, Kagura, and Hatsuharu. While Kazuma is lucky enough to not be cursed by a Juunishi spirit, he's still well known and respected by the family and is considered to be part of the inner Souma circle. Though Kyou refers to Kazuma as Shishou, there's obviously a deeper bond between the two. In fact, the bond goes as deep as a father-son relationship. Kyou's parents passed away when he was a young child and Kazuma adopted him. The Souma family was appalled by Kazuma's adoption of Kyou, as Kyou was cursed by the vengeful spirit of the cat. No one wanted Kyou around and they couldn't understand Kazuma's desire to adopt the troublesome child. Kazuma's an extremely understanding person and probably the best parental figure that Kyou could've asked for. He was able to look at the Souma family from an outsider's perspective and see how ridiculous it was to shun Kyou. When the Souma family talked about Kyou behind his back, Kazuma helped Kyou overcome the hardships. As he once said, "From now on, I'll have [Kyou] breathe air from a higher place." There's an atmosphere about Kazuma that radiates peace and acceptance. If he hadn't adopted Kyou, then Kyou would've probably been stuck with an incredibly neglected childhood; he probably wouldn't have gotten anywhere in life. Kazuma was the one who suggested to Kyou to begin karate, and it was the desire to impress Kazuma and not let him down that Kyou worked so hard.
Though Kazuma obviously was hoping for a father-son relationship, Kyou was having difficulty distinguishing whether Kazuma was a father or a karate master. When Kyou was reprimanded at school for picking fights, the teacher said, "You'll disappoint your father." Kyou then vehemently denied that Kazuma was his father; he wasn't his father but a Shishou. Though he denied it, Kyou truly saw Kazuma as a fatherly figure. When Kazuma visited Shigure's house after not seeing Kyou in a while, Kyou transformed into a completely new person. He greeted Kazuma with full enthusiasm when they were able to speak alone. Kazuma and Kyou's greetings always consist of a punch or attack of some kind. Kyou suddenly lunges towards Kazuma and Kazuma blocks easily. This is a sort of ritual that breaks the ice. After the first punch, the two settle into a lighthearted atmosphere. The thing about Kazuma is that he has quite a capacity for patience, and patience is exactly what Kyou needs. To grow, to develop, to feel accepted, Kazuma was patient with Kyou and let him go at his own pace. Kazuma's somewhat hard to explain. He's got an untouchable feel about him. He was able to elevate himself and Kyou above the rotten people of the Souma family. He allowed Kyou to "breathe from a higher place." A place unpolluted by prejudice and mockery. He always greets everyone around him, especially Kyou each day he comes home from school, with a ready smile and warm words. He's somewhat lighthearted in that he's always ready to laugh, whether it be at himself or at life in general. However, at the same time he's stern and, well, a karate master. He's a teacher. He's capable of raising a child because he's been training children most of his life. Kazuma knows what's good for Kyou, even though Kyou might not like it. There's hardly a time where Kyou will go against his wishes. Kazuma's been watching Kyou grow, and at the end of the series takes the final step to help Kyou grow to be a more stable and rooted individual. Though some of Kazuma's decisions he knows will be hard on Kyou, he still knows what's best. As his father, Kazuma knows what's best for Kyou. Later on, Kyou says to Kazuma, "One day I'll be someone worthy of calling you 'father'." This surprises Kazuma and at the same time puts him at peace. He had always aimed to be a fatherly figure to Kyou, and with Kyou's declaration, it was as if he had been forgiven for shunning his grandfather as a child. Just as Kazuma had accepted Kyou, Kyou had accepted Kazuma in return.
Kazuma is demanding of Kyou but patient. He demands that Kyou grow up when he feels that Kyou is ready, and sometimes pushes Kyou out of his comfort zone to get him to take a step in the right direction. Kazuma had an impact on many of the Souma children's lives, especially those who took martial arts from him, but has had the biggest impact on Kyou. Without Kazuma, Kyou wouldn't have been able to grow and develop the way we see him. Even at the beginning of the series, Kyou wouldn't have been the same if Kazuma hadn't adopted him. Their relationship is one of healing for both sides. Kazuma was the kindness and gentle acceptance that Kyou needed; he gave Kyou direction at the same time he resolved his inner conflicts.
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- - - - - - - - - -> Souma Kazuma
Kazuma's
wish to adopt Kyou came from his own childhood; his grandfather was
also cursed by the cat's vengeful spirit. Just like the rest of the
family, as a child Kazuma shunned his own grandfather. When his
grandfather offered him a meat bun, Kazuma was taken aback and said,
"No... I'll get cursed." In return his grandfather only smiled
knowingly. It wasn't Kazuma's fault he said such hurtful words; he had been raised up with the idea that people who were cursed by the
cat were bad. He later regretted what he said and hoped that
by adopting Kyou, the next to be cursed by the vengeful spirit of the cat, he could
make it up for his grandfather.
Kyou
is extremely proud and respectful of Kazuma and at times it's blaringly
obvious how much he loves his father. The first time Kyou talked about
his Shishou was when he told Tohru how strong he was and how great he
was. Later on he tells Tohru again, that his Shishou is very strong. His
pride for Kazuma, for his relationship with Kazuma, simply radiates from
him. When he's alone around Kazuma, he shows great respect. Kyou and
Yuki are known to never show their dearest feelings around each other
for fear of exposing a weakness in front of their rival. In accordance
with this rule, because his
feelings for Kazuma as a father are so dear to him, Kyou
refuses to show them in Yuki's presence.