It has been several weeks since The Boys came to an end on Prime Video, but fans still have a few questions about that series finale, including what Kimiko said to Billy Butcher in sign language after she had been speaking the whole way through The Boys season 5.
In The Boys season 5 episode 8, when Billy Butcher asks the crew if they are on board to go to the white house and take Homelander down, Kimiko responds in sign language and a nod, which confuses Butcher as he doesn't understand what she means. After being mute for the whole series, Kimiko finally learned to speak between seasons 4 and 5, and had been blabbing all the way through the final season. But when Frenchie died in The Boys season 5 episode 7, she went silent.
However, Kimiko star Karen Fukuhara says that in the script, Kimiko doesn't even really reply to Butcher's call to action; she just nods. "I thought it was weird that she wouldn’t say anything in this final moment of the gang being together and making this decision together [to go to the White House]," said Fukuhara in an interview with The Los Angeles Times.
So to give Kimiko her moment, Fukuhara suggested she sign back to Butcher, which is a nod to the comics. "I wanted it to resemble the comics when Kimiko finally speaks up and steps up to the plate, and she decides to go with the Boys. There’s a distinct moment in the comics that I wanted to give a nod to. So I pitched it, and this is another thing that Kripke said yes to. I did it in sign language."
In the comics, the ending goes down a little differently from what we see on screen. That moment when the group meets about going to the Oval Office to face Homelander, well, that's actually about stopping Butcher from wiping out all Supes. However, this is when Kimiko utters the one and only line in the comics, "I hate mean people."
This is a pretty pivotal point, which could not be exactly replicated in The Boys series finale, as Kimiko started talking at the start of the season, and it was Hughie alone who stopped Butcher. You can read more about that in our The Boys season 5 ending finale explained. But we have to say, Kimiko's last-minute signing is a nice touch.
The Boys season 5 is available to watch in full on Prime Video now. For more, check out our guide to the best shows on Prime Video, and keep up with new TV shows.
