The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke opens up about how one of his favorite season 3 storylines is Kimiko's (Karen Fukuhara) continuing character development. The Boys season 3 debuted on June 3 and will air weekly until July 8. It sees the returns of series regulars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, and many others, including the fan favorite Fukuhara. Picking up months after the extremely well-received season 2, The Boys now sees sadistic superhero Homelander (Starr) start to mount his comeback while Butcher (Urban) looks to even out the playing field in his battle against the supes.

The title The Boys refers to a group of vigilantes who combat superpowered individuals when they abuse their abilities. Among their ranks is the mute Kimiko, who was involuntarily injected with Compound V to give her superpowers of strength, healing, and hand-to-hand combat. In The Boys season 1, she joins the group after she's rescued from imprisonment. She returns for The Boys season 3, notably engaging in a fight with Termite in a now infamous scene from the premiere. It sounds like that was just the beginning for Kimiko's emotional season 3 arc.

Related: Why The Boys Killed THAT Character So Early In Season 3

In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Kripke talks about how much he enjoys Kimiko's character development in The Boys season 3. After having spent a few seasons with her, Kripke felt it was important to really start giving the character some agency. Read Kripke's quote below:

Yeah, it's one of my favorite storylines. You're really watching her blossom as a personality and really starting to express her own agency. For so much of Kimiko's life, she was doing what other people wanted. It was really important to me that, even though she might not be speaking literally, she really has a voice and she really has a point of view and a perspective. It's a blast to do it. And Karen deserves more credit than I think she gets, because she is doing one of the great highwire acts on TV right now. I defy you to pick a moment where you don't completely understand where Kimiko's head is at; what she's thinking and how she's feeling. And she's doing it without saying a damn word. That is so hard, and Karen does it so effortlessly that it's just truly an astounding thing to watch.

Kimiko in The Boys season 3

A sort of thesis statement for Kimiko occurs in the early moments of The Boys season 3, where she sings along to some piano music in her head; this symbolizes her growing voice, both literally and metaphorically. Episode 2 then sees her and Frenchie (Tomer Capone) visiting an amusement park, where Kimiko laments over her stolen childhood. These The Boys season 3 incidents show Kimiko's growing agency as she looks inward and reflects, suggesting a more assured role in the narrative as it develops. Throughout the show thus far, Kimiko has been on an interesting journey, and it sounds like it is reaching a new point in season 3.

The Boys has one of the most compelling ensembles on television, allowing for an entire spectrum of interesting character arcs and developments. Kimiko is a standout as someone who is forced to live with superpowers she never wanted. Kripke is right when he says Fukuhara doesn't get enough praise for her acting, being able to convey everything her character is feeling through facial expressions and sign language. With all the wild developments on the way for The Boys season 3, for Kripke to specifically point out Kimiko's storyline indicates that it must really be something special and worthy of Fukuhara's stellar and underrated performance.

Next: Why The Boys Season 3 Looks So Different

The Boys season 3 releases new episodes Fridays on Prime Video.