Kimiko’s refusal to speak is one of her most distinguishing features in The Boys, and season 4, episode 7 has finally revealed why.

Kimiko is one of the most intriguing and fascinating characters in The Boys, since she is a silent supe who has joined forces with the Boys to bring down Vought. Kimiko’s past has been extensively explored throughout The Boys, and season 4 has revealed yet another significant aspect, ultimately revealing why the character is unable to speak in the Amazon series.

Season 4 of The Boys is now available on Amazon Prime Video, marking the much awaited continuation of the critically acclaimed superhero series. The fourth season of The Boys follows up where the third season left off, with the titular superhero team attempting to stop Victoria Neuman from becoming Vice President of the United States, while Butcher continues to attempt to assassinate Homelander in the background. Meanwhile, Kimiko is dealing with her history, exposing a significant 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 Shining Light Liberation Army reappears in The Boys season 4, drawing Kimiko back into her past as they resurface and disrupt The Boys’ attempts to take down Vought. In a previous episode, one of Kimiko’s opponents and many other Shining Light troops attempted to assassinate her while she and Hughie were meeting with A-Train to collect some Compound V, in retaliation for Kimiko 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing some Shining Light soldiers earlier in the season. This prompts Kimiko to reflect on her time in the service, indicating that her previous justification for not talking was not the whole story.

As it turns out, Kimiko’s quiet is the result of a Shining Light exercise with the young soldiers. As she recalls, she and another young soldier were once forced to fight to the death, with the supervising soldier stating that he would 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 whoever screamed out in pain first. Kimiko felt that staying silent was the only way to save her life and win the struggle.

However, the tragedy of 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing another little girl who had been forced to become a child soldier left her with terrible guilt and unable to speak again. This has gone on for years, which is why she is still unable to communicate in the contemporary day of The Boys, years after leaving the Shining Light Liberation Army.

Kimiko’s Complete Backstory In The Boys Explained

It’s a tragic one.

Kimiko’s origin story in The Boys is 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 Triad terrorist 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

Kenji Had A Different Explanation

Although The Boys season 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 in The Boys season 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 that Kimiko can’t talk due to the trauma of seeing her mother be murdered by the Shining Light Liberation Army, a violent sight that was so shocking that it had a permanent psychological effect on Kimiko.

However, The Boys season 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’s plot in the Amazon series differs significantly from the original Boys comics.Kimiko has minimal background in the original comics, serving primarily as a feral tool employed by The Boys to level the playing field with the other superheroes. The Boys comics do not include her experience with the Shining Light Liberation Army or the existence of her brother Kenji. These details were added to provide depth to her character.

Kimiko does not speak in the comics or the television show, but the rationale in the source material is rather different. Kimiko refrains from speaking in The Boys comics, rather than being unable to do so owing to past trauma. The reason behind this is never truly addressed, however she does have one sentence near the end of the series that says “I hate mean people.” Kimiko’s character in Amazon’s The Boys has undergone considerable alterations, including a new cause for her incapacity to communicate.