Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Boys season 4, episode 7!
Summary
One of the most notable characteristics of Kimiko inThe Boysis that she doesn’t talk, and season 4, episode 7 has finally revealed the full reason why. Kimiko is one of the most interesting and complex characters inThe Boys, with her being a silent supe who has joined up with the Boys in order to bring down Vought. A lot of time has been dedicated to exploring Kimiko’s backstory throughoutThe Boys, and season 4 has revealed another major detail, finally explaining why the character isn’t able to talk in the Amazon series.
The Boysseason 4 is finally here, with the highly anticipated continuation of Amazon Prime Video’s critically acclaimed superhero series now releasing on the streaming service.The Boysseason 4 picks up right whereThe Boysseason 3 ended, with the titular superhero team attempting to stop Victoria Neuman before she is able to become the Vice President of the United States while Butcher continues attempting to kill Homelander in the background. Meanwhile,Kimiko is having to wrestle with her past, revealing a major secret about her character to The Boys.
The Boys Season 4 Reveals The Real Reason Kimiko Doesn’t Talk
It Has To Do With Her Child Soldier Backstory
The Boysseason 4 sees the Shining Light Liberation Armyrear its head once again, pulling Kimiko back into her past as they remerge and interfere with The Boys' plans to take down Vought. In a previous episode, one of Kimiko’s enemies and several other Shining Light soldiers attempt to kill Kimiko as her and Hughie are meeting with A-Train to obtain some Compound V, getting revenge for Kimiko killing some Shining Light soldiers earlier in the season.This causes Kimiko to think back on her time with the army, with her revealing that her original explanation for not talking was not the full story.
As it turns out, Kimiko’s silence is the product of a Shining Light exercise that was done with the child soldiers. As she explains, there was a time where her and another child soldier were forced to fight to the death, with the supervising soldier explaining that he would kill whoever cried out in pain first.Kimiko knew that staying silent would be the only thing that could save her life, leading to her winning the fight.
However, the trauma of killing another young girl who was forced to be a child soldier was so great that it caused her to feel immense guilt, with her never being able to talk again. This has carried on for years, explaining why she still can’t talk in the modern day ofThe Boysyears after having left the Shining Light Liberation Army.
Kimiko’s Full Backstory In The Boys Explained
It Is A Tragic One
Kimiko’s origin story inThe Boysis pretty tragic, with it stemming from her childhood. As a child, Kimiko lived in a seaside village with her parents and brother, with things seemingly going well for them until the Shining Light Liberation Army attacked. The soldiers killed Kimiko’s parents and enslaved Kimiko and her brother Kenji, taking them into the army and forcing them to be child soldiers. While captured, Kimiko and Kenji developed a form of sign language in order to continue communicating, with them surviving until Kimiko was able to escape.
After getting away from the Shining Light,Kimiko wasn’t free for long, as she was actually recaptured by the Chinese Triadterrorist group. While imprisoned by the Triad, A-Train smuggled some Compound V to the group, with them using it to experiment on Kimiko. After Kimiko gained superpowers, she was smuggled back into the United States as part of Homelander’s plan to create public fear about superterrorists.
However, she managed to get away, with her surviving until she was found and taken in by the Boys in season 1. Since then, she has worked with the gang to get revenge on Vought and the Shining Light Liberation Army.
What The Boys Has Previously Revealed About Kimiko Not Talking
AlthoughThe Boysseason 4, episode 7 reveals the true reason why Kimiko doesn’t talk, it isn’t the first explanation that has been offered by the show. Back inThe Boysseason 2, the titular team is able to learn a bit more about Kimiko’s backstory thanks to them meeting her brother Kenji, who is still able to speak. At one point, Kenji explains thatKimiko can’t talk due to the trauma of seeing her mother be murderedby the Shining Light Liberation Army, a violent sight that was so shocking that it had a permanent psychological effect on Kimiko.
However,The Boysseason 4’s new explanation comes directly from Kimiko, meaning that the original explanation must not be true. It is possible that this story about Kimiko’s trauma from her mother’s death was merely speculation from her brother, with him turning out to be incorrect. It could also be that both of these events played a role in Kimiko losing her ability to speak, with the fight with the other child soldier simply being the breaking point. There is always a possibility that more could be learned about Kimiko’s backstory in the future, shedding more light on this.
How Kimiko’s Backstory & Not Talking Compares To The Boys' Comics
The TV Show Handles It A Lot Better
Kimiko is one of the most changed characters fromThe Boyscomics, with very little of her story in the Amazon series coming from the source material.In the original comics, Kimiko has very little story, with her acting more as a feral tool that is used by The Boys to level the playing field with the other supes. Things like her history with the Shining Light Liberation Army and the existence of her brother Kenji don’t exist inThe Boyscomics, with them being added to give her more depth in the show.
Kimiko doesn’t talk in the comics or the TV show, but the reason in the source material is very different. Rather than being unable to talk due to her past trauma, Kimiko simply chooses not to talk inThe Boyscomics. The reason why isn’t ever really explained, although she does have one line near the end of the series, with her saying “I hate mean people.” This is one of the most significant changes in Amazon’sThe Boys, with the new reason for her inability to talk being a welcome addition to Kimiko’s character.
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The Boys is a gritty and subversive take on the superhero genre, focusing on a group of vigilantes who confront powerful superheroes abusing their abilities, exploring themes of corruption and moral ambiguity in a world where heroes are not always what they seem.
