All About Akatsuki no Yona

Kija (White Dragon)

Kija (キジャ Kija) is the current Hakuryuu, one of the four dragon warriors, who possesses the blood of the white dragon deity. After Yoon, he is the second person to join Yona and Hak's journey.

Kija is a young man with fair-colored skin and blue eyes. His silver hair hangs down to around his chin, with a portion of the back being much longer and falling past shoulders; he has a long fringe which hangs mostly over the right side of his face. Both Yona[8], Kija's grandmother[9] and Jae-Ha[10] have described him as being very handsome, and Kija has attracted the eyes of many females as his group passes from town to town on their journey.[11]

For attire, Kija wears a long white robe with blue patterned hemlines and cuffs over plain white pants. This is held together with a dark blue sash and accompanied by a light cape. Over the top of this, Kija dons another white and blue cloak with a high collar. On his feet are a pair of simple brown slacks. Kija apparently owns many copies of this outfit.[12]

Kija also possesses four long scars in the middle of his back, which where inflicted unto him by the previous Hakuryuu, his father. Despite the look of the scars, Kija is not shy about having people see them; rather, he wears the scars openly as a sign of the passion the dragon deities have for wanting to serve their master.[13]

Most noticeably though, Kija's right hand is covered in white scales, this being due to the dragon's blood within his body, which takes the form of a dragon's claw. At will, Kija can alter the size of his hand, keeping it normal in proportion to his left hand or growing it to be the same size as his body.[14] To hide his hand from view, Kija often has it wrapped in bandages.

Kija has a very headstrong, straightforward and polite personality, mostly due to the way in which he was raised. As he has always known about the legend of the dragon deities and his place within it, he cherishes the power he possesses, the other dragon warriors and Yona, who he perceives to the descendant of King Hiryuu; he also strongly believes that those who are the dragon deities should fulfil their duties no matter what.[15] Due to this, he can become quite annoyed by others who do not hold the same reverence as he does, and often scolds the members of his group (particularly the dragon warriors) for being immature or disrespecting their positions - this has been stated by Jae-Ha to be one of his less-likeable traits.[16]

Kija flustered by Yona's praise

Kija blushes upon being praised

His want to impress and always work to the best of his ability can also cause Kija to become quite competitive[17], and he is shown to easily become flustered or jealous when somebody else outshines him or pleases others before him.[18][19] This envy runs particularly strong with Hak, as Kija originally believes that someone not of the dragon deities should not have the honourable position of constantly being by Yona's side, and becomes upset over the idea that someone without his powers could be of more use than he is.[20] Kija's constant want to be helpful makes him incredibly loyal though, and he is always prepared to fight whenever necessary or follow orders without a moments hesitation.[21] He also likes being praised (particularly by Yona) and can become quite shy and withdrawn if he is, blushing openly or turning his face to hide his happy reaction.[22]

Kija and seafood

Kija upset over eating "bugs" (seafood)

As he was raised being revered and pampered within the Hakuryuu village, Kija can be quite naive about real world matters, and is used to a more indulgent lifestyle. He appreciates being clean, well-fed and well-rested, and is quite put out at times by the odd meals and rugged sleeping places that the group often find themselves eating and being in.[23][24] He also has an immense hatred for bugs, to the extent that he will forgo sleep and refuse to enter places if he knows or believes that insects are about.[25] He is not past openly complaining about these types of situations, much to the annoyance of some of his friends.[26] Such use to a pampered lifestyle where he was always looked after also makes Kija quite gullible, and he is often seen falling for practical jokes or sarcasm, particularly if Hak is involved.[27] Jae-Ha also sees him as being very pure in nature for this reason.[28]