The Boys season 3, episode 4 ends with Kimiko in rough shape thanks to Soldier Boy. What happened to her, is she dead, and what does the future hold?

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for The Boys season 3, episode 4

What might the future hold for Kimiko after The Boys season 3, episode 4? Played by Karen Fukuhara, Kimiko's backstory is one of The Boys' most tragic moments - no mean feat given what we know about Butcher, MM and Hughie's respective pasts. Snatched from her peaceful life and forced to become a child soldier by the Shining Light Liberation Army, Kimiko was taken to the United States and forcibly injected with Compound-V. Quite by accident, the Boys freed Kimiko while investigating Vought's trafficking, and everybody except Butcher has since become her friend.

The Boys season 3 sees Kimiko join her dysfunctional crew on a mission to Russia, hunting a weapon supposedly responsible for putting down the legendary Soldier Boy. Instead, they find Soldier Boy himself - and with a nuclear upgrade. Released from his Weapon-X chamber, Soldier Boy immediately (seemingly without control) fires a red blast from his chest. Kimiko defends Frenchie from certain death, but gets knocked through a nearby wall. Although such attacks usually wouldn't phase her, those famous powers of regeneration shockingly fail to kick in, and Kimiko begins bleeding profusely like a normal non-supe...

Even deprived of her gifts, Kimiko dying from Soldier Boy's blast in The Boys season 3 is very unlikely. Killing off Karen Fukuhara's character so abruptly would feel like a disservice after The Boys worked hard to elevate Kimiko above the stereotypical "silent, deadly Asian" trope. Cutting her story at this early juncture would unravel all of that development and growth, and for what purpose? Making Soldier Boy look dangerous? Kimiko might come away badly injured, but don't expect "Glorious Five Year Plan" is the last of her appearances in The Boys. Furthermore, The Boys' showrunner, Eric Kripke, exclusively told Screen Rant that Kimiko's journey ranks among his very favorite storylines for season 3. There wouldn't be much of a journey if she died in episode 4 or 5...

Does Kimiko Die In The Boys Comics?

Karen Fukuhara's Kimiko might be safe (as much as anyone can be safe in The Boys' superhero hellscape), but there is precedent for her biting the dust. As the end of The Boys' final comic book arc approaches, Billy Butcher has finally killed his nemesis and avenged Becca, but continues to crusade against supe-kind until every last Compound-V subject has been wiped out. Anticipating his allies will mount an effort to stop him (they've used Compound-V too, of course), Butcher goes about killing his teammates. This massacre includes Frenchie and the Female, who are investigating CIA files in Boys HQ when Frenchie notices a hidden bomb planted by Billy Butcher. The building detonates with both still inside, and Frenchie finally confesses his love to the Female, while a stunned Hughie can only watch the blaze from outside.

Kimiko's comic book ending - dying at the hands of a rampaging Billy Butcher - makes her exit in The Boys season 3, episode 4 even more unlikely. Compared to her original ending, falling after a single torso-blast from Soldier Boy could only be considered a disappointment.

Why Kimiko's Healing Power Isn't Working

Should Kimiko pull through in The Boys season 3, she isn't necessarily walking away unscathed. For reasons as yet unconfirmed, regenerative powers that could previously remove a bullet from Kimiko's brain are now failing to activate. The strange nature of Soldier Boy's blast is almost certainly to blame. We know Jensen Ackles' patriotic imbecile didn't possess this energy power before being captured, so Russians experiments performed on him between the 1980s and 2020s must've altered his biology. Perhaps by trying to negate Soldier Boy's Compound-V, scientists gave him the ability to switch off others' superpowers. That would mean Kimiko became a regular woman as soon as the red blast slammed against her.

The bigger question is whether the effect is permanent or temporary. Does Soldier Boy's energy wave just give victims a Compound-Vacation, or does it completely strip away all abilities forever? Given that Kimiko is the first character we've seen get hit by Soldier Boy's energy in The Boys season 3, it's too early to tell. Having said that, The Boys makes no secret that Kimiko is unhappy as a supe, perceiving herself as a "monster" both during the Russian mission and the episode's earlier "death by dildos" scene. Bringing Kimiko down to the Boys' level perhaps wouldn't be such a radical change.

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The Boys continues Friday on Prime Video.