Prime Video’s hit show The Boys has several interesting characters and Kimiko has to be one of the fan-favorites. However, the mystery surrounding the character has rattled fans with curiosity throughout its run. So, why can’t Kimiko speak? If you have pondered the same question over and over again, you are not alone. But finally, The Boys gave us the most viable answer about Kimiko’s long-withstanding muteness.
Why Kimiko Can’t Speak?
To begin with, it’s worth noting that Karen Fukuhara’s Kimiko has a devastating past and her muteness is strongly connected to the past she endured. Previously, the second season of The Boys first addressed her muteness as the season introduced Kimiko’s brother, Kenji played by Abraham Lin.
The backstory of Kimiko and her brother also came to light in the season. The siblings grew up in Japan but their family was tormented after the Shining Light Liberation Army kidnapped the siblings after killing their parents. They were trained and brought into Phillippines to fight but separated after she was imprisoned and smuggled to the United States.
In the US, she was injected with Compound V which armed her with astounding abilities including superhuman strength, durability, and a regenerative healing factor. Later The Boys rescued Kimiko and she joined the team to fight Vought.
Through her brother Kenji who could talk, the second season revealed that seeing her parents violently killed caused her to abandon her voice. However, a recent episode in season 4 of the series unveiled a new twist regarding her muteness. She had to lie to her brother as she could not tell him the truth.
The Real Reason Behind Kimiko’s Muteness
The recent events in The Boys gave away some astounding details about Kimiko’s muteness. On the very first night when the terrorist group kidnaped her, Kimiko was forced to fight another young girl who was also kidnapped. In the knife fight to the death, they were not allowed to make a sound. Kimiko was victorious but the tragedy of her first kill stuck in her mind and the trauma caused the muteness since.
Recently, in an interview with The Wrap, Kimiko actor Fukuhara added more insight into the matter sharing that it was always intentional to keep her inability to speak psychological rather than physical attributes as she had multiple conversations with showrunner Eric Kripke.
“From initial conversations with Kripke, we spoke about having Kimiko’s muteness not come from a physical attribute because if it was a physical attribute, it’s sometimes impossible to get your voice back after a physical trauma. So I said to [Kripke], I don’t think it can be a physical attribute if we want that tinge of hope, if we want to change the storyline or incorporate that in future seasons, and he was really receptive to that early on.”
The actor went on to add that Kimiko always “kind of viewed herself as a victim to Shining Light, a victim to Compound V. A victim to all the s*tty things that have come her way, but Season 4, she had to face her own darkness and own up to all the wrongdoing she did to other people.”
Of course, the detail of her muteness creates a sense of hope that in the future Kimiko might finally overcome all the barriers and be able to speak again, perhaps in the upcoming season. However, in comics, she never had any grave interest in speaking again albeit speaking only one line, “I hate mean people.”
Still, Kimiko’s muteness has added charm to the character, you can’t move away from her when she’s on the screen. Her unique form of communication via sign language and writing also added layers to the inherent essence of her character.
The Boys is available to stream on Prime Video.
