#ju-doh

Hi Hak 😍

If something happened, y’all would be dead 🤣

LOL

Is there anything Hak isn’t good at???

They never stood a chance 😂

It’s refreshing to know that the Sky Tribe soldiers felt this way about Hak, even after the coup

Bruh, the sheer disdain in his eyes

The fangs 💛

So sneaky 🤫

About that...

Oh, snap! He just came right out and said it

Wait... was Yona actually supposed to know this???

Oh Hak 😭😭😭

Again not a lot is happening in this chapter, it doesn’t really offer much explanation other than create more doubt. 

Basically the first part of the chapter is where Soo-Won regains consciousness for a while and tries to leave but Yona makes him stay as he was staggering and still in pain. Kye-Sook also learns about Soo-Won falling ill by a hidden guard who I think was guarding Yona (to track her whereabouts I suppose) and calls for Min-Soo, who’s apparently the imperial physician. 

There was a cute interaction between Yoon and Min-Soo, I can foresee them being good friends in the future, with them exchanging medical information. I am still not sure about Soo-Won having a serious illness theory, but this chapter seems to be very much leaning towards that direction. Min-Soo seems to be hiding something when he was talking to Kye-Sook and also when Yona brought up Soo-Won’s mother, who is also ill, seems to be another indicator. I think most probably Soo-Won told Min-Soo to keep quiet about something, but what about I still have doubts on. 

Kye-Sook then updates Ju-Doh that Soo-Won has fallen ill, and he is shocked. It seems like nobody knew about Soo-Won’s illness until now, and they are all also thinking that the reason why Soo-Won is not choosing a heir is because he may not have long to live. This again hints towards Soo-Won having a terminal illness, but until Soo-Won or Min-Soo confirms it, then I will believe it. Kye-Sook last words about speeding up conquering Kai tells us that more action would be happening soon, and would definitely heavily involve Hak (who’s in the Sky Tribe now) and the four dragons (who would definitely be made use of). 

If you haven’t heard, the translations for Chapter 178 have just come out, so I suggest you read that first before reading this post. The dialogue of the chapter has outright confirmed my analysis of Yona's decision here, so I won't be analyzing that again. I will, however, touch upon other topics of import that came up during the chapter in this post. Feel free to reblog for further public discussion. For the sake of simplicity, I will use the first spelling denoted in each header for every character.

Keishuk/Kye-Sook

I think I'm not the first person to say that I hated Keishuk at first sight. He's smug, cold, snake-like -- he's like Gin Ichimaru, except without that damnably likable, cheeky, trolling personality.

That being said, this chapter paints Keishuk in a new light. For a long time many of us have suspected that Keishuk has been manipulating Suwon, possibly even planning to betray him at one point - but this chapter seems to confirm that Keishuk is loyal to Suwon, or at least his goals, even if that means he has to act behind his chosen king's back and make this offer to Yona.

Another thing that makes him more likable is how he deals with Judoh. He refuses to allow Judoh's personal feelings get in the way of the good of the country, and straight up calls him out on it. That further underlines the fact that, despite his faults, Keishuk honestly does care about the good of Kouka. He just has differing views from Yona about how the recovery and prosperity of the country can be achieved.

Judoh/Ju-Doh/Joo-Doh

Speaking of Judoh, aren't we all glad that someone finally called him out on his bs? Even if it is Keishuk who did it, we can't deny that it's been a long time coming. Ever since the Nadai arc, Judoh's obsession with killing Hak (either by his hand or Suwon's) has reached dangerous heights.

Of course, initially we thought it was because Hak was a threat to Suwon. Later chapters implied that while that's part of it, Judoh's issues with Hak stemmed from long before Suwon. Here, in this chapter, Keishuk all but confirms it - Judoh has hated Hak for a very long time.

This chapter also gives further clarification as to why, and it's the reason we all saw coming: jealousy. And why wouldn't he be jealous? Judoh is the general of the Sky Tribe, the royal tribe that holds Hiryuu castle, that holds the throne. And yet, despite his position, he's lived in the shadows of others for years: first Guen-Tae, then Hak.

With Guen-Tae it was easy to ignore. The man was older, a decorated general who fought side-by-side with Prince Yuhon back in the day. He was Judoh's senior, so of course he'd be better. It was something to be expected. Judoh couldn't resent something that was simply part of the natural order of things.

But with Hak? Hak is little more than half Judoh's age. And yet by the time he was eighteen, he was general of the Wind Tribe. He had beaten Guen-Tae, Judoh's better, when he was just a kid. Worst yet, King Il passed Judoh over in favor of Hak when assigning Yona's bodyguard, a position that was traditionally given to someone like Judoh. Hell, there were even rumors that Il was planning to arrange a marraige between them.

Oh, that must have grated on him. If those rumors were true, that meant Il had essentially chosen Hak as his heir, over the men of the Sky Tribe like Judoh and Suwon. I highly doubt Judoh actually wanted to marry Yona or be king, but he'd probably would've liked being considered at least. Plus, if Hak actually did marry Yona and became king, that meant Judoh would have to serve him - this orphan kid from the Wind Tribe who had gotten lucky enough to be adopted by the previous general, who had been overshadowing Judoh since before he had barely hit puberty. It must've felt humiliating.

And the most ironic part? Judoh is still in Hak's shadow even now. This recent battle with the Tully tribe all but proves it. Even with Hak on the run, having given up his own name and generalship over the Wind Tribe, he still manages to outdo Judoh at every turn. There's no way Judoh is unaware of it, and there is no doubt it's gnawing at him even now.

Deep down, Judoh fears Hak. Let's face it, if the coup hadn't involved killing King Il, Hak would be Suwon's most trusted lieutenant, not Judoh. If Suwon had just married Yona like how Hak and Yona wanted him to, Hak would be by their sides, every step of the way, leading Suwon's forces and soaking up all the glory that Judoh is implied to want. And while reconciliation between Hak and Suwon is impossible now, there's still that nagging little fear inside that maybe, just maybe, they might be able to work past it and work together again. And if that happens, where will that leave Judoh? He'll be left behind yet again.

And say, what if Hak succeeds in killing Suwon? Or Suwon dies from some other means? The throne will default to Yona, as Suwon's closest living relative and Il's original heir to begin with. If Judoh doesn't find himself executed or exiled, he could lose his position. And even if he doesn't, even if Yona finds it in her heart to forgive him, to trust him again, he'll be serving Hak, because there is no man she will marry but him.

Yona and co. going back to Hiryuu Castle might be the best for the country, but not for Judoh. And while he disguises it with his legitimate concerns for Suwon's safety, Keishuk saw through it, and thus, so do we.

Fin

As if the dragons could possibly lose... Y’all are some sort of crazy

Do not, and I repeat, DO NOT underestimate Kija

Can he possibly get anymore attractive 😍

Yes, yes you would 😁

LOL, y’all are so dumb 😂

As if that’s even possible 🙄

Tee-hee, not so brazen now are you? 😁

Su-Won is not fazed at all by this development 😂

Definitely one of my favorite sequences 😂 He caught that boulder like a bean bag 😳

Y’ALL THIS IS SOME NEXT LEVEL THREAT (but man is it hot)

DON’T TOUCH MY BABY

KIJA!!!!!

She is done with y’all’s pretty BS 😤

LOOK AT THAT FACE

Take that Ju-Doh!!! 

Sad backstory aside, he’s still an emo-jerk that needs to get some sleep

That realization must have hurt...

*snorts in foreshadowing* Good luck with that 

Aren’t we all 🙄

I mean, he’s not an idiot. Y’all know Kija would tear the place up and a whole bunch of people would lose their heads, literally. Looking at you Shin-Ah

Someone will appreciate this panel 😁

*fore-head-shadow*

WHAT

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS

HE KILLED YOUR FATHER

Oh, there it is

Sir, you do not have the right 😤

Hello death

I would not want to be on the wrong side of this war...

Kija’s dragon sense is tingling

Things just got interesting. He doesn’t look happy to be there...

OH MY GOD HE PICKED UP AN ENTIRE HORSE

Yes, yes he did.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

These faces are going to make me melt 😍

Kija like, “girllllll, get your hands off me” 😤

KIJA please read between the lines!!!

Eek, he’s serious

Lol, “Ju-Doh or whoever” 🤣🤣🤣

LAWD HAVE MERCY 😍😍😍😍😍😍

Zeno: “Please casually stab me. Thanks.”

They’re still there 😭😭😭

Soooooo cute 🥰

*laughs hysterically*

These two ❤❤❤

Hak looks so young, it’s adorable 🖤

The Wind Tribe will always be my favorite 🤣

All she wanted to do was watch Hak fight 😭

Geez, so menacing 🙄

MY HEART ❤🖤❤🖤❤🖤❤🖤❤🖤

AHHHHHHHHHHHH 😍😍😍

You better believe she did. She don’t need NO man.

Struck a nerve there didn’t she?

Because confident women intimidate men.

Bloodlust much???

Lili 💙

Pretty sure this guy is going to have a heart attack

Oooo, she means business!!!

Ah, but Yona, you underestimate the abilities of a psychopath