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The Boys Season 4 Finally Reveals The True Reason Behind Kimiko's Muteness
Karen Fukuhara’s Kimiko has been mute since her first appearance in Prime Video flagship show The Boys. Season 4 of the series has finally addressed the real reason behind her muteness.
The Boys season 4 gave away a lot of secrets that have kept fans in the loop of mysteries. While the new season introduced two new Vought 7 members and some weird supes including Web Waiver, the latest season also addressed the reason behind Kimiko’s muteness and it is linked with her devastating past.
The Boys season 4 reveals why Kimiko has been mute
Karen Fukuhara’s Kimiko has been mute, since her appearance in Prime Video flagship The Boys. While it gave depth to the character, a subtle mystery has also been tagged with her aura as fans have long wondered the reason behind her muteness. As The Boys is coming close to concluding its fourth season, the show has finally revealed details of Kimiko’s muteness.
Previously, The Boys did give us a clue about the muteness of Fukuhara’s character as we were introduced to Kimiko's brother played by Kenji Abraham Lin. As per his explanation, Kimiko’s muteness followed since she was forced to murder her parents and it seemed like she had been enduring the gravity of her tragic past. But it was not just her mourning for her parents nor did she have any physical inability that would propel her muteness.
Recently, The Boys finally addressed that what Kenji revealed was a lie Kimiko told him as she could not tell him the truth. In a surprising twist of events, it was revealed that on the very first night following her kidnapping by the Shining Light Liberation Army, Kimiko was thrown into a pit to do nasty things which included fighting another kidnapped young girl. However, it was not a simple fight as the organization made it clear that they had to fight to death without making a sound. Kimiko was victorious but it cost her voice as the psychological effect of it was embedded since for which she never made a sound again.
Kimiko’s muteness has a deep meaning in The Boys
The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke also has a reason to keep Kimiko’s muteness intact throughout the show so far. While The Boys is quite dystopian from a narrative standpoint, Kripke wanted to keep the seed of hope somewhere and Kimiko’s muteness, according to the series creator, was perfect to keep the spark alive. In a recent chat with The Wrap, Fukuhara explained the motif in Kripke’s mind.
The actor revealed that since her initial conversation with the showrunner, they were clear about Kimiko's muteness not coming from a “physical attribute” because “if it was a physical attribute, it's sometimes impossible to get your voice back after a physical trauma.”
For that, Fukuhara suggested that it can not be a “physical attribute if we want that tinge of hope” to keep the mystery surrounding her character.
The actor further explained that season 4 of The Boys was an ultimatum. Kimiko has always viewed herself as “a victim to Shining Light, a victim to Compound V.” Also, she has been a victim of all the “s*tty things that have come her way,” but Season 4 further pushed her to face her own darkness reflecting on her past and what she had done.
The Boys Season 4 dynamics is a stepping stone to what is coming in 5th season
The Boys Season 4 puts all The Boys' members to the test as the series prepares for the fifth and final season. Billy Butcher is mentally unstable which makes him even more dangerous and on top of that, he has a parasite in his body. Hughie lost his father. Starlight is also confronting her dark past linked to the new Seven member Firecracker, Frenchie’s past also chased him to his short-lived romance with Colin.
Beyond the band, Homelander has been more insecure propelling to his vicious self. A-Train has found his redemption but now has a target on his back. Similarly, Kimiko revisiting her past may have some deeper significance. Perhaps, Kripke will give her voice back in the forthcoming season but so far, it’s still a long shot.
Regardless, as Kimiko regains her abilities, the showrunner has painted a perfect picture of the character inspired by her past. She was trained to be an assassin for the terrorist group before joining The Boys, thanks to Frenchie. But as Frenchie is neck deep in his own trouble haunting him from the past, Kimiko got the space to evolve even further. Finally, the duo reunited but it seems that the further exploration of their self is far from over.
Season 4 of The Boys has perfectly established what the final season might bring to the table. It is fair to assume that The Boys will end on a high note as the graph of the fourth season has been nothing but an absolute banger.
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