1 of 4 dragons enter the group, and things are looking good. Yona and the others stumble into the village where the white dragon’s blood runs through all their bloods. They all have white hair. Because Yona has red hair, the villagers suggest that she may be the person the white dragon was destined to meet, according to the legend. Poor Yun is tied up, but they let him go. They won’t know for sure if Yona is the one the dragon is supposed to meet until she meets him. But her red hair is popular with the villagers, calling it beautiful, which Yona is just sucking up.
To keep the story short, the White Dragon steps outside to ward off the intruders (which is Yona and the boys), but when he gets one look at Yona and her hair, he has a strong reaction and passes out. He has waited for this moment for his whole life, and meeting his master, he sets off with her like he’s destined to do.
His name is Ki-ja, he’s 20, and he’s adorable. He feels very strongly about his village and the villagers. He has a kooky grandmother that wants him to marry, basically the village also loves him, and he’s a devoted and friendly guy. Well, not as friendly with everyone. Hak just straight up walked into Ki-ja’s room, looking for stuff to take on their journey. And basically Ki-ja offered Hak a huge bag of gold to go away and not be part of their journey. He tells Yona that he’s the only one that needs to protect her and that they don’t need Hak, but Yona explains to him that Hak is her childhood friend and she wants him. Cue Hak being really happy with a creepy ass laugh.
Hak and Ki-ja get off at a bad start, and it was pretty fun to watch. A lot of fun interactions between the characters, and they feel really close. Like dumb arguing siblings (though I wouldn’t want to view as Hak and Yona as siblings. Totally ship them <3). Before Ki-ja leaves, the entire village has a banquet in his honor. Before he departs, Ki-ja has a tearful moment with his grandmother. Even though she’s pretty crazy, she’s been in his life more than his parents, so they have a close bond. They leave, and their journey continues. They actually don’t know where to go next, since Ik-su only gave them a route to the white dragon and not the others. But Ki-ja mentions that the dragons can sort of sense each other, so they’re going to rely on him to find the next one.
One part in this episode that I liked was that Yona asked for Ki-ja’s name. Basically for his whole life, only his parents called him by his name (though I wonder where they are?), and everyone else called him White Dragon. He was stunned, but happily gave Yona his name. A name is very important. It tells you who you are, that you’re someone, and you are significant. Just being called White Dragon, it kinda sets you apart from everyone else. And he’s been called White Dragon his whole life, so to finally be called by his actual name by someone other than his parents must mean a lot, and Yona is looking at him other than being the white dragon. As a person.
And it just shows Yona’s growth. After losing her father, her home, and her safety, Yona I think has shown more appreciation for the people around her. Like when she saw those farmers growing wheat, the same wheat she would eat at the castle, she prayed for them and basically thanked them. She’s not so spoiled and stubborn, and a lot more kind as she was from the first episode, and all these events really help her grow her character. She called herself a scoundrel for finding Ki-ja, because she wants his power. She didn’t want to lie to him. She even questioned herself if it was okay to borrow such an enormous and important power. Before, Yona probably wouldn’t care about any of this, but she’s really thinking of others and of herself. And I can’t wait to see her character grow more so I can love her even more.
Aaah, this episode was nice. I disliked Ki-ja a little in the manga, but the anime adaption somehow made me much more sympathetic towards him- must be that tearjerking music in the background! The hug for his grandmother was especially touching.