#helpmee

First, it's worth listing all the places where Boothill has some form of shark imagery to understand why the animal is even connected to him in the first place. The most prominent feature is that his torso matches that of a great white shark, from the color scheme to the ridges all the way down to the scars (licks). Furthermore, Boothill has sharp teeth (ever since he was a child infact) and got them augmented further after becoming a cyborg. A fun piece of trivia is that it takes around 3000lbs of force to crush a 9mm full metal jacket, the very same that Boothill uses and eats (little freak/pos). A great white sharks bite force can be upwards 4000lbs/2 tons. This means that Boothill also has around the same bite force as a shark!! (Ty draklux_ on tiktok for the trivia <3).

Then of course, there's the spheroid racer from the event which has the same shark design as the red bullet that Boothill spits out in his ult and the racer was even called "Sea Hunter Shark". So that's all the known shark imagery that can be found within Boothill ^^

Diving into the analysis (haha see what I did there...okay.), I'll start with the first thing I've noticed regarding sharks and Boothill. They're both very misunderstood, and there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding both. The most common misconception is that sharks are very aggressive and will attack anything and everything that moves, especially humans. This is a false image portrayed by popular media when the reality is that sharks aren't actually as aggressive as they're portrayed to be and that shark attacks on humans are quite rare. These creatures aren't unnecessarily aggressive and if anything, they will attack when provoked or when considered necessary (such as hunting). And yet, despite the reality, people are still wary of sharks and often find them scary. It's all in line with how Boothill himself is viewed within the game. The IPC pushes out this image of Boothill being a bloodthirsty and trigger-happy thug who'll shoot anyone who gets in his way when that's not who he is. In fact, Boothill himself uses this false image to his advantage to intimidate others and get his way so he can avoid unnecessary bloodshed. Similar to sharks, Boothill isn't as aggressive as the IPC claims him to be. His reputation gets dragged through the dirt, and he gets framed for things he hasn't done, causing people to be wary of him. Not to mention the fact that Boothill has changed his appearance partially for the reason of appearing more intimidating.

Another common misconception about sharks is that they're strong animals but quite stupid or simply mindless killers. Once again, it's very similar to how Boothill sees himself and is seen by others, both in game and outside the game. Boothill himself considers himself to be a bit on the dimmer side due to his lack of a formal education despite the fact that there are multiple forms of intelligence and Boothill is very clearly cunning and smart (also can ppl stop acting like he can't read or write 💔💔 it's been mentioned over and over again that he can).

One thing that I do find interesting is how the media portrays areas with sharks as "shark infested waters" when those waters are literally their home and where they belong. It's so eerily similar to how the IPC considered the locals of Aeragan-Epharshel as "pests" and "savages" that needed to be annihilated despite the fact that it was their home that they were colonizing.

Anywho, let's move on to the behaviors of sharks, specifically great white sharks. Great whites are considered to be stealthy and wary animals as well as strategic hunters, all in line with Boothill’s own behavior. It's already been established that he has a lot of hunting experience (character story 2) and that he's undeniably stealthy (it's a part of hunting after all), plus he's a very guarded man. Trust doesn't come easily after all that he's been through, and it does take a while for Boothill to trust others. Great whites are also typically solitary creatures but are still social and often hunt in pairs or groups, similar to how Boothill used to be a part of a community but is now mainly a lone wolf.

A piece of trivia regarding Great whites is that they need to be constantly moving to breathe. Otherwise, they'll die. It's almost symbolic of how Boothill doesn't stop with his mission for revenge and can't stop because stopping means dwelling on the past, and remembering too much is something he can't afford.

Here comes the long part, which is what sharks themselves symbolize. In spirituality, sharks symbolize endurance, protection, and a will to survive no matter what. Boothill is one of the last remaining survivors from Aeragan-Epharshel and likely one of the only able-bodied survivors, a testament to his endurance and will to survive despite the bombs raining down from the IPC (as well as a bit of luck to survive all that tbh). We also know that Boothill is a protector of innocents as he's a vigilante of sorts. Yes he has his own main mission but that doesn't stop him from donating to charities and inciting riots on planets under the IPCs jurisdiction. Boothill is a man for the people and protects them when he can. Similarly, sharks symbolize leadership and its been established in his first character story that Boothill had earned status and respect for his courage within his tribe, implying he was either a chief or had some kind of a leadership role within his community.

Sharks have also been used as symbols for determination and fierceness, traits that Boothill constantly showcases time and time again. Despite feeling intense amounts of fear, anxiety, and depression, Boothill is still determined to continue his mission of getting justice. He's a fierce man when it comes to his beliefs and very rarely backs down.

Sharks are even used to symbolize the ability to adapt, something that Boothill is intimately familiar with. The fact that he managed to adapt to advanced technology and space travel despite these initially being foreign concepts says it all. Not to mention he was all alone when navigating such unfamiliar territory (aaauugghhhh my baby </3).

Last but not least, sharks are symbols of power. This feels almost poetic as a very big theme in Boothill's story is power struggles. His entire story is about the power imbalance and struggle between a tribe and a mega corporation. Essentially, Boothill is just one single man up against the IPC, but he still fights. Part of the reason behind why he even got a cyborg body is so that he can reclaim power and autonomy over his body and the IPC and we can see how with this new body of his, Boothill is basically a one-man army.

Bro 3 in a row get out of here...